The Land Use Framework for England March 2026 - not fit for purpose
- rpwills
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Government released its Land Use Framework for England on March 18th. This is designed to provide “a coherent national vision for how we use our land,…”
A land use framework is in principle a good idea, setting out what land is currently used for and what changes are necessary to ensure that land is used effectively and sustainably in the future. However, this document fails to do this.
It alludes to the governments proposals to build 1.5 million houses, a policy based on a flawed assessment of why there are problems in the housing market. It incorrectly states “New homes and towns are needed across England so that families can have a safe roof over their head and achieve the dream of homeownership.” This accepts the flawed ‘lack of supply is the cause of housing problems’, an approach based on simplistic and out of date models. [Details of why there are issues can be found at: https://www.cornwallecon.com/post/the-housing-crisis-the-real-cause-the-multi-causal-theory]
The document states “It demonstrates clearly that we have enough land to build the homes needed to address the housing crisis,..” This is clearly incorrect. England is an overcrowded country and undeveloped land is at a premium.
The document asserts that “Only 8.7% of England’s land is developed (Source: Land use statistics: England 2022), …” This is a gross under-estimate of the extent of developed land. If we look at all the land which is effectively part of the developed landscape we arrive at a figure of 16.9%. This leaves 83.1% which is undeveloped, most of which is farmland.
The framework says “We also heard that people in urban areas have unequal access to green infrastructure, the green and blue spaces that deliver benefits for nature, climate and communities.” This is true but it is largely a result of over-development and densification.
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