A comprehensive land use plan would optimise the use of the land to deliver on major strategic objectives, including biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, land, water and air pollution, food security and population health. The plan should be integrated with climate, biodiversity, agriculture and food policies.
It should be linked to farm payments and provide guidelines for agricultural policy, with the aim to promote increasing tree cover, optimising livestock farming to areas where it is most ecologically suitable, support for mixed farming systems and support for the expansion of sustainable horticulture.
Mechanisms to ensure that local planning decisions are based around what is sustainable should be included, and the land use plan should be considered in planning decisions.
A comprehensive land use plan would include:
- Review of agricultural classification taking into account climate change scenarios, the need for a more varied, sustainable and healthy diet, the need for land for carbon sequestration and increase in biodiversity (e.g. afforestation).
- Highlighting suitable areas for afforestation and nature friendly farming to provide biodiversity and carbon benefits.
- Mechanisms for both top-down planning and bottom-up local community inclusion.
