march 2010
Land use - the future?
A new approach to managing the UK's land is vital if we are to meet the challenges of the 21st century, according to the latest report from Foresight, the Government's futures think tank.
The report, 'Land Use Futures', outlines the findings of an extensive two-year study involving over 300 experts in subjects ranging from ecology, economics, planning and geography. It concludes that the present way the land system is managed in the UK will need to change.
The report, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Communities and Local Government (CLG), confirms that land is a versatile national asset, playing a crucial role in fostering people's physical and mental wellbeing, and supporting prosperity. But the land system is likely to face new pressures over the next 50 years.
These pressures include climate change; a growing and ageing population with more people living alone, the rise of the low carbon agenda and rising expectations associated with growing incomes – more space for living and better transport.
The report argues that decisions will be needed on crucial issues, such as how to balance local and national interests; the appropriate mix of market incentives and regulation to guide future land use change, and how government can improve the strategic use of space and assets when land is mostly under private ownership.
"Together with our human capital, land is possibly our greatest asset," said Professor John Beddington, the Government's Chief Scientist and the project director. "It supports our prosperity, our wellbeing and forms the bedrock of our cultural and national identity. However, many of the current systems and ideas about what is the best use of land date back to around the Second World War."
"A land management system fit for the 21st century needs to draw on the latest science and evidence on how changes in the use and management of land interact to affect people and the natural environment, and to reflect the diversity of benefits that land can deliver," he explained. "Business as usual is not an option over the long-term."