Geospatial Commission calls for a taskforce to scrutinise proposals for land use

A new Land Use Analysis Taskforce should be established to support decisions about how land in the UK is used, according to a new report from the Geospatial Commission.

The new taskforce would assess the potential to reconcile competing demands for how we use our land to meet national priorities – such as those relating to infrastructure, housing, agriculture and the environment – with the land available in the UK.

Finding common ground also set out how better data can be used to drive land-use decisions that drive growth, while also protecting the environment, adapting to climate change and achieving net zero emissions.

The report has four recommendations:

• establish a Land Use Analysis Taskforce to bring together cutting edge data and scientific expertise to assess competing land use pressures, ensuring national priorities are delivered within the land available in the UK;

• champion market innovations that help visualise and deliver how we can achieve better land use decisions;

• strengthen the links between land use policy design, academic research and industry practice; and

• develop a standard approach to classifying key land use data to improve how we can link data about land.

The report highlighted significant opportunities for multifunctional land use (such as rooftop solar energy) and considered these opportunities across six sectors: water, energy, housing, biodiversity, food and transport.

The recommendations were based on evidence from academic and industry experts and findings from regional pilots in Devon, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Newcastle and Northern Ireland.