Thanks to Tim for the introduction, and to the Royal Geographical Society for hosting us here today.
I want to start by celebrating the work of the late Sir Dudley Stamp, President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1963 – 1966.
In the 1930s, Sir Dudley carried out the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain, the first-of-its-kind nation-wide survey of how land was then being used in our country.
He recruited the help of thousands of schoolchildren and their teachers, who embarked on a trip right around Britain to map mountains, rivers, fields, back gardens, forests, covering every piece of land across the country.
You can see examples of these maps can be found in this room today.
Across the survey, some maps were clearly done quickly as a pupil ran out of time, or perhaps even lost interest, others are coloured meticulously with additional notes and labels for good measure.
Yet, whether they were rushed or done in painstaking detail, Sir Dudley’s maps are invaluable, providing a comprehensive record of how land was being used across England, Wales and Scotland.
These maps were quickly put to use with the dawn of the Second World War, used by the local War Agricultural Committees to identify land that could maximise food production.
Sir Dudley’s maps are a snapshot in history – a fascinating insight into how the countryside has changed over time.
But the story of our land goes much deeper even than that.
Our landscape embodies our lives, our culture, our celebrations, and our tragedies.
How it looks has changed as our population has grown and shrunk, through wars, in times of disease and hardship, through changing industries and shifting habits. The stories of our ancestors are embedded in the rich heritage of our land.
In the woodlands of the New Forest where, in 1697, trees were protected by law to supply timber for the Royal Navy’s growing fleet.
In the ridges and furrows in our fields, and the stone walls of enclosures, that give a glimpse into the lives of millions of farmers who’ve worked our land for tens of thousands of years.
In the parkland designed by ‘Capability’ Brown across England’s glorious Georgian Estates, visited by millions of us to this day.
Our landscape reflects generations of innovators.
In the emergence of new terraced houses in the industrial towns of Lancashire and West Yorkshire, remnants of the late 18th century textile revolution.
In the creation of our transport system, from canals to the railways through the 19th century, to the opening of England’s first motorway in 1958.
From the world’s first public electricity supply in Surrey in 1851, to the UK producing its trillionth kilowatt hour of electricity from renewable sources in May 2023.
It’s the fabric of Stevenage and Harlow, created under the New Towns Act of 1946 to meet the urgent need for housing in the post war years, and in the opening of our National Parks during that same period, representing the desire of a nation to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.
It tells the story of farmers who have changed how they farm time and again to grow the food we need and steward our countryside, embracing mechanisation in the 20th century, automation in more recent decades, and the nature-friendly practices we’re seeing emerge today.
Wherever you are in England, the history of our landscape is ever present. The distinctive features that make up the nation we know and love are never far away.
Two hours from the room we’re all in right now, I could be at Stonehenge. Go the other way, I’m in the Norfolk Broads or on the beach at Margate. I can easily get to the canals of Birmingham, the uplands of the Yorkshire Dales or the sparkling white cliffs of Dover.
This is one of England’s greatest joys. But also one of its challenges. Because England’s land area is small. To put it in perspective, France is four times bigger than England but our population is around the same.
And there are more demands and more opportunities on our land than ever before.
To grow the economy and deliver the change that this Government was elected to do, we must make the best use of the land around us. But we need better data and tools to inform decision making.
So we can grow the food to feed the nation. Build 1.5 million new homes to address the housing crisis. Construct the energy infrastructure to secure home-grown clean power. And, underpinning all these ambitions, protect and restore nature here in one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
In the years since Sir Dudley’s work, we’ve seen subsequent land use surveys, and advances in spatial data science and earth observation means we have detailed land analysis at our fingertips, including that used by Tim in Land App, to help people plan how we use our land better.
But, until now, there has been no clear direction set by Government on how our land could best be used across England. How to support those who make decisions about the land. How to minimise trade-offs and maximise its potential.
Today, following Sir Dudley’s groundbreaking survey almost 100 years ago, I’m asking for your help to shape the first-ever comprehensive Land Use Framework for England.
This will be the most sophisticated land use data and toolkit ever published in our country’s history.
This Government has a cast-iron commitment to maintain long-term food security.
The primary purpose of farming will always be to produce the food that feeds the nation.
This framework will give decision makers the toolkit they need to protect our highest quality agricultural land, and make decisions about the long term future of farm businesses.
Farming faces a rapidly changing climate. More severe flooding and droughts are damaging food production, hitting yields and hitting profits. At the same time our natural environment is in decline. Much-loved British birds and wildlife are at risk of national extinction.
Our rivers, lakes and seas are choked by unacceptable levels of pollution.
Some of our most treasured landscapes are in a very poor condition.
This is the scale of the challenge we face. And we must do more to restore our natural world while maintaining and strengthening food production.
That is why the Government must go further and faster to support farmers through the transition to a more sustainable way of farming.
But there’s good news too. That transition is already underway. Embracing innovation that will boost long-term food production. Restoring habitats and supporting once-endangered species. Doing things like planting orchards alongside cropland, or restoring and maintaining peatland.
I know from conversations with farmers and landowners that they not only understand the need for change, they are already making change happen.
They know their land best, and it is only right that they lead this transition.
We can make the most of food production, nature’s restoration and economic growth if we support farmers and landowners with better information to help them navigate their way into the future.
That may mean doing things differently, and I know that can be worrying, but the decision on how to manage land will and must always rest with the individual farmer or landowner.
We will work with farmers to shape the framework and support them in making their businesses more sustainable, productive and profitable by opening up Government data so innovators like Tim can put new insights into the hands of farmers, planners and developers when taking their own decisions about the best use for their land.
It will look at how we create the certainty that private investors need to invest in farming businesses, and consider how best to use public funding to secure the most benefits for food production and for nature.
We are working on common sense changes that create a win-win for nature and the economy, and the Land Use Framework is a significant part of that.
Nature is the common thread that runs through the Government’s missions. It is healthy soils and abundant pollinators that enable us to grow the food we need despite the changing climate. It’s a resilient water supply that is essential to building the homes, schools, hospitals, and datacentres that we need. And trees and vegetation that help the land hold more water and give us better protection from flooding.
It’s the biodiversity and wildlife that safeguards our ecosystems to fight off animal and plant diseases, while access to our wild landscapes and green spaces helps improve mental and physical health and reduce the burden on our NHS.
Beyond nature and the farming sector, this Framework will unlock growth through better spatial planning.
It will work hand in hand with our housing and our energy plans, so we can meet our ambitious housing targets and achieve Clean Power by 2030, without jeopardising food production or nature.
This land use data will shape decision-making about where and how we build things in this country so we can grow the economy and meet the challenges of future decades.
Major infrastructure will be built with sensitivity to our landscapes, by ensuring our strategic spatial energy plan and 10 year infrastructure strategy draw from the land use framework.
And by linking the Framework with our spatial approach to housing, we can develop new settlements that make space for nature and allow access to our beautiful green countryside.
This is about creating a coherent set of policies that work together, rather than against each other.
We have taken on recommendations from Henry Dimbleby’s Food Strategy, the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, a House of Lords Committee, and a range of other voices – many who I see in front of me in this room, to consult on a Land Use Framework for England.
Starting a national conversation on the vast opportunities for how we use land in this country.
It won’t tell anyone what to do with their land, it will help them take better decisions shaped by the life experiences of farmers, landowners and planners.
Using the most sophisticated land use data ever published, we will boost food production, protect the best agricultural land, restore our natural world and drive economic growth.
This is not a set of rules. This is providing better data and information to make sure the farming transition that is already happening is fair and just.
Ensuring the evidence gathered here will also feed into the wider reform that we are delivering through our Farming Roadmap and Food Strategy.
So just as Sir Dudley asked schoolteachers and their pupils for help all those years ago, I am asking for your help.
I won’t be giving out mapping sheets and testing your colouring skills you’ll be pleased to hear.
But I do want to hear your views and draw from your expertise on what a Land Use Framework for England should look like and – importantly – how we get there.
Today we are launching a 12-week consultation, that will be supported by workshops and roundtables around the country.
Bringing together farmers, landowners, businesses, planners – everyone involved in how we use our land.
We’ll be asking for your views on a future vision for the land, what our policies on land use need to include, and what you need to realise that vision.
Tell us how can we change the way our spatial data is presented and shared so it’s more valuable in decision making and can be used to drive economic growth.
Tell us where the skills gaps are, and what skills we need to transition our land.
Tell us how we can best help landowners, land managers and communities understand and prepare for the challenges of climate change,
Or support farmers to make land-use changes while boosting food production.
If we get that right, the prize is huge.
We can have a multifunctional landscape that delivers economic growth and puts money back in the pockets of hardworking people.
Where farmers continue to produce the food we need, working with nature and maximising the potential of their land to strengthen food security in the face of climate change and geopolitical shocks.
We can have healthy ecosystems, abundant habitats and species, clean waterways and beautiful countryside for everyone to enjoy.
We can have families living in well-designed homes, with green spaces, amenities and protection from flooding.
We can lower energy bills and increase national energy security by generating more homegrown, clean energy.
This is about shaping the future England we want to see.
The consultation may be just 12 weeks – but the conversation will be ongoing.
Just as it has throughout history, our landscape will continue to change – and we will work with you so that the Land Use Framework evolves to reflect this.
Our landscape is shaped by those who’ve lived and worked it for generations.
This is England’s next chapter. We are the authors. Let’s write it together.