The Committee on Land Use in England publishes is inviting views on current and future demands on land use, and how government decision-making on this issue can be improved.
How we utilise land has wide ranging effects on almost every part of the economy and people’s lives. It is also central to how the UK tackles many of the issues of today, from the climate crisis to biodiversity loss, the housing crisis, and increases in cost of living.
Lord Cameron of Dillington, chair of the Committee on Land Use in England, commented on the announcement: “Land Use is facing a huge range of pressures, challenges and opportunities across the spectrum in this country.
“This comes at a time when the Country is going through great change following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the effects of Brexit and related new environmental and farming policies, and the impact of social and technological change.
“We are seeing increasing demands for land for Housing, infrastructure, Agriculture and Forestry, as well as a need to tackle climate change and support nature and biodiversity. We are keen to find solutions to all these challenges and to ensure we can use land sustainably and effectively over both the short and long term.
“Our inquiry will only be as strong as the evidence that we get, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in these issues to give us their views.”
The Committee will be looking at a wide range of issues, including:
- The current demands on land use in England and how these demands are expected to change in the short, medium and long term
- The impact of these demands on the environment and climate change
- The current systems through which land use is decided and how effective they are, including variations across the UK and between urban and rural regions
- How the decision-making process surrounding land use can be improved, including to foster integration and deliver multifunctional uses of land
The deadline for responses is 4.00pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022.
More information on ‘Land Use In England’-inquiry and how to take part in the call for evidence is available on the UK Parliament website.
