Land use policy - objectives?

Land use – some thoughts (1)

Summary

Land is an important resource – for food production, environmental services, landscape and community well-being, yet we lack a joined up policy framework. There is a bewildering array of designations, one effect of which is to regard large areas of land, many of which are considered of high importance to the local community and/or are valuable with regard to food production, as being of ‘lower value’ despite having both an economic and

intrinsic value.

 

How do we devise policies to accommodate these often conflicting requirements?  How do we finance the measures needed to support the policy objectives?

 

Objectives

What should the objectives of a land policy be?

To:

Maintain sustainable food production;

Ensure that farmed areas/farmland is managed in an environmentally sustainable way;

Protect and maintain existing nature areas and develop new ones;

Protect and enhance landscapes;

Ensure that development proposals are evaluated according to economic and social need and environmental impact.

Encourage and enable responsible public access on footpaths and lanes and appropriate open areas.

 

We will turn later to the current situation and policy options.