Overlooked and ignored for so long, land and land use decisions are now front and centre of policy. A welcome change, this is nonetheless a hot topic which clearly needs thoughtful leadership. As we await a Land Use Framework (LUF) consultation in the new year, what are some of the challenges facing policy makers who want to enable better decisions about land?

As the government sets out its agenda, the challenges become evident. To hit targets to generate 100% of grid electricity from renewable energy by 2030, several new solar farms were greenlit earlier this year, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is developing a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). The expected changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the upcoming Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Bill are intended to make it easier to deliver the targeted 1.5 million homes and new infrastructure promised. A LUF led by Defra, long promised but yet to be delivered, will be out for consultation early next year.

Given the implications for land use of each of these policies, there is a risk of three separate approaches to land use emerging: one for energy, one for planning and one for everything else. Each sector has its own targets, policies and regulations, and requires new banks of knowledge, metrics and reporting. This departmental approach, combined with different Ministers’ understandable sense of urgency, could, however, lead to conflict, delay and unnecessary controversy.

For people who have to make decisions about land – land managers, farmers, local authorities and others - separated and siloed policies and information isn’t helping. At a time when they need clarity, coherence and consistency, it is even harder for them to work out how the land they steward could meet different demands, or to know what land use options are most needed in their area.

As the farmers' protest showed, changes to the way people can make decisions about land can trigger intense responses.

There is a huge gap between rural and urban policy infrastructure. Most urban land uses are regulated by the planning system under local authorities, while agricultural areas are largely exempt from most planning considerations. Agricultural land managers respond to national policies – farming policies or new natural capital opportunities. This can make it difficult to find common ground and collaborate on national critical issues like where housing is best suited or how to create and link up habitats corridors for nature recovery.

An effective Land Use Framework needs to work for different sectors and at different scales, from national to regional to local. While some policies, like energy grid infrastructure, will necessarily be centrally decided, many complex land use decisions take place at the local level. Land managers and other land use decision makers need to be able to weigh up the possibilities for energy generation, for new housing, for food production, for nature recovery and climate adaptation, and so on. These competing demands must be considered together, in the context of place: what is the land good for, what do local communities need for a resilient and prosperous future, and how does this area contribute best to national goals? And where can multiple targets be met together?

Effective implementation of these new policies relies on land use decision makers being able to understand the different demands of land and consider them together. Under existing policy infrastructure, this is difficult – reducing the effectiveness of the policies in reaching their targets.

With the new government’s focus on delivery, there is now a much-needed window of opportunity to improve the whole system of land related policies. Various policies, including Environmental Improvement Plans and Environmental Land Management schemes, are undergoing rapid review in DEFRA. DESNZ is designing a strategic spatial energy plan. The NPPF consultation was completed in September. The upcoming LUF consultation is an opportunity to bring all this work together, drawing on the expertise of different land managers and decision makers – potentially delivering a vital step change in the way we optimise land use decisions for public value in England.