How land is managed shapes everything from biodiversity and climate mitigation to economic health.
Here at IEMA, our policy work in recent months has responded to a wave of consultations, including planning reform, nature recovery, infrastructure consenting, and the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into sustainability and housing growth. In April we responded to the Government’s consultation on Land Use in England, a precursor to the long-awaited national Land Use Framework due in 2025.
A disappointing step towards the robust framework we need
Given the scale of the environmental and planning challenges we face, this consultation could have been significant moment. It should have set a strong foundation for aligning land use with legally binding environmental targets. Instead, its narrow scope is missing the mark.
The proposed direction risks falling short of meeting its national obligations and international commitments on biodiversity and climate, and lacks the integration with statutory goals such as the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), and Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS).
A land use framework that works for people and planet
In our response, we offered xfive key recommendations to create a fit-for-purpose framework:
Land use planning must be underpinned by spatial mapping that clearly links land categories to the goals of the EIP and its Outcome Indicator Framework. This would allow landowners and decision-makers to understand their roles in achieving national objectives.
The Land Use Framework must not sit in isolation. It should align and dovetail with current planning reform and the upcoming Environmental Outcome Reports (EORs). Shared spatial priorities should guide all land use and development decisions.
We need scenario modelling that explores more ambitious routes which would include a scenario analysis that models higher ambition pathways, showing how greater proportions of land - across all categories - could contribute to environmental goals. This includes urban green space, peri-urban land, and under-utilised public land.
A national data platform that incentivises the sharing of privately held land use and biodiversity data (e.g. from developers, farm consultants, or estate managers) and a duty to report spatial outcomes against the Framework’s principles should underpin the framework. It can also align with the EIP Outcome Indicator Framework, supporting transparency and accountability.
Delivery will depend on having the right people with the right expertise. From soil scientists to spatial analysts, the framework should be supported by a national land use skills strategy to address key workforce gaps.
Time for Action
With the final framework expected some time in 2025, the Government still has an opportunity to elevate its ambition and deliver a land use strategy that works for both nature and people. Professionals in our sector are ready to help shape and deliver that vision—but we need a clear, joined-up, and evidence-based framework to do it.
At IEMA, we’ll continue working with policymakers to ensure that the final Land Use Framework supports the scale of transformation our environmental and social systems urgently require.
Read IEMA's full response here.
Lesley is Policy and Engagement Lead at IEMA with a focus on the rapidly developing area of biodiversity and natural capital. On behalf of IEMA, Lesley also supports and is a member of the Steering Group of the UK Business and Biodiversity Forum. Lesley has worked in environmental sustainability for 15 years and previously delivered programmes and solutions in sustainability for business at the British Standards Institution, including ground breaking standards in biodiversity net gain and natural capital. Lesley has a qualifications in business management (MBA) and climate change management, and mentors environmental students at the University of Westminster.
