Land Use Framework must enable a sustainable future

CPRE Sussex welcomes the opportunities there are in the idea of a Land Use Framework for rebalancing land use by providing a mechanism that would, for example, make more space for nature.

We hope a Land Use Framework could enable more sustainable decisions that lead to gains in natural capital and ecosystem services which would grow the economy, increase social cohesion and benefit health and wellbeing. As such we support the principle of having a national Land Use Framework and expect that regional or subregional Frameworks with a greater level of detail will be required to guide strategic planning in due course.

However, CPRE Sussex has concerns about six issues which might stop the principle:

First, the consultation sits in a policy context that is not favourable to the environment or a balanced approach to land management. The Government’s view is that The environment is a block to growth and as such should be swept aside. This view is wrong because all of our wealth and health is derived from planetary processes that provide the natural capital and ecosystem services on which humanity depends. Ignoring this for short term economic gain ignores the UK’s commitments including on Sustainable Development and climate change.

In such a policy context the chances of developing a balanced land use framework that takes account of fundamental environmental realities seem slim.

Second, the Definition/Quantification of urban land: the consultation plays into the developers’ playbook and seems to ignore key sources of information available from the research community For example, the apparent separation of gardens from the total urban area reduces the size of urban areas and the impact of future urbanisation.

Third, Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services: the supporting ecosystem services (the water cycle, the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle etc etc) are missing from explicit consideration. Only those services that generate a direct economic return are included. This is a fundamental mistake.

Fourth, data availability and quality: the quality of the maps provided is poor and it is impossible in fact to see what they mean for any local area in Sussex.

Fifth, food supply and flood defence: These two important land uses and functions seem to take second place to housing and infrastructure.

Sixth, Connectivity across a Patchwork Landscape: Sussex is a patchwork of land uses and one considerable contribution that a Land Use Framework could make is to increase connectivity between different parcels of land.

Read our full response including answers to the consultation questions at: CPRE Sussex response to the Land Use Framework Consultation 25 April 2025