In 2008 the Foresight Project commenced a project to explore how UK land use could change over the next 50 years and what society’s future needs and values for land might be. Sponsored jointly by the departments responsible for cities, planning, housing, environment and rural affairs (DCLG and Defra), it aims to support the development of forward-looking, integrated land use strategies.

The Project aims to use the best available scientific and other evidence to take a broad look at:

• The most important challenges and opportunities for land use in the UK over the next 50 years1 – particularly those that merit decisive action; and
• What can be done to use and manage land more sustainably and to unlock greater value for people and the economy – now and in the future.

The Project has also sought to identify where incremental change would be desirable, and where a more strategic shift is needed.

This Project has taken a broad and overarching look at the future of UK land use over the next 50 years. It demonstrates that there is a strong case to develop a much more strategic approach: to guide incremental land use change, incentivise sustainable behaviours, and to unlock value from land.This report shows that a reappraisal is vital to help address major challenges ahead – for example, relating to demographic shifts, climate change, and rising demand for commercial and residential development in areas such as the South East of England. The challenge is to meet the rising expectations which will come with rising incomes; and to deliver a wider range of sustainable benefits from land. In particular, a more coherent and consistent approach is needed for managing the growing demands on land – at different levels of Government, and across the wider community of stakeholders involved in the many land use sectors.

To access further information on the Foresight Project and to download the full report, please click here.

Author:

Rebecca Coates

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

11-Feb-09

Categories:

Planning / Planning Resources, Planning Theory & Practice, Policy, Practice 

Sections:

News & Media

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