At last. The long-awaited Land Use Framework is on its way.

As one of the suite of legislation and new policies slated for the spring, the Framework should form a critical component for reinvigorating local places and grassroots economies. The English Devolution and Communities Bill will afford greater mayoral powers and create new local opportunities. The Spatial Development Strategies will focus on building local growth. Community ‘Right to Buy’, another component of the Devolution bill, will allow local communities greater powers to ensure that buildings, or other local assets of value, can stay in the community. The Land Use Framework can play a central role in making sure all these different requirements work together without forgetting the ecology of the land itself.

As the government has rightly recognised, decisions about how a place works, looks and functions are best negotiated by the people who live and work there. People know what they need and are the best source of insight into what works. In most cases, detailed and thorough decisions can’t be made in Westminster far from the everyday patterns of people’s lives. They also can’t be made by ‘sectoral investment’ companies looking to maximise their own interests, offset negative supply chain impacts, or demonstrate their commitment to ESG. Nor can effective decisions be made by looking at this from a single lens, be it nature or farming or housing. Doing so misses the complexities and reality on the ground, and the opportunities to optimise economic, ecological, social and health benefits across several metrics.

The UK needs a lot from land. We need more houses and more renewable energy. We need healthy food and better transport links. We must reduce damage to land, restore woodlands and rivers and nature, and tackle climate change. And we have to do all of this while recognising that the ratcheting climate impacts and threats from biodiversity loss are challenging our ability to build houses where there won’t be flooding and grow food in a changing climate.

Devolving powers to places, where policy hits the reality of delivery, ensures land use decisions can account for all these demands. It also means it can happen at a scale where people can be genuinely and actively involved – not ‘consulted’ after decisions are made, in a tick-box exercise. Involving people allows for much better real world data collection to inform the process, which leads to better decisions. When people are involved, they help make sure things work - from housing to afforestation to energy infrastructure and more.

The critical relationship now is between spatial planning for housing, transport and grey infrastructure, and food, farming and the countryside. The removal of climate and environment powers from the Devolution Bill, after they were included in the White Paper, misses a vital window of opportunity and should be reversed. Making sure that the upcoming Land Use Framework is integrated into other decisions about place – any housing applications, major infrastructure, areas protected for nature – is essential. If we want resilient growth in the real economy right across the country, we need to recognise that urban vs rural is an artificial divide and spatial decisions must integrate all land uses, for now and for the long term. Making sure, for example, that planning pathways are accessible to farmers to improve water infrastructure on their land – conserving water and deploying nature-based solutions to flooding - is a future-proofing win for everyone.

This suite of new policies are a big step in the right direction. What we need to see next is well-resourced trials in different places, creating the conditions for real collaboration across sectors in decision-making, and involving people in the next steps. At FFCC, we look forward to working with partners and supporting genuine place-led growth and democratic renewal.