New evidence base for land use strategy suggests that 'vital' appraisal is needed to meet future challenges
Consultancy Foresight has published the results from a major project on the future of land use in the UK, working with leading experts to assemble the latest evidence and research on land use topics.
The project has produced a series of reports and an evidence base which will help government and other policy makers understand whether existing land use patterns and practice are fit for the future.
This project has taken a broad and overarching look at the future of UK land use over the next 50 years. It demonstrates that there is a strong case to develop a much more strategic approach: to guide incremental land use change, incentivise sustainable behaviours, and to unlock value from land.
This report shows that a reappraisal is vital to help address major challenges ahead – for example, relating to demographic shifts, climate change, and rising demand for commercial and residential development in areas such as the South East of England.
The challenge is to meet the rising expectations which will come with rising incomes; and to deliver a wider range of sustainable benefits from land. In particular, a more coherent and consistent approach is needed for managing the growing demands on land – at different levels of Government, and across the wider community of stakeholders involved in the many land use sectors.
The project explored:
- What land use challenges could the UK face over the next 50 years?
- Will existing structures and mechanisms help us to meet those challenges?
- What opportunities are there to use and manage land differently now so that UK society continues to enjoy a good quality of life in the future?
The project covers the whole spectrum of land use from urban to rural and is sponsored by Defra and CLG.
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