On the 9th August 2021, the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission publicly offered a contract for the development and implementation of a Land Use Framework in Devon. A Land Use Framework will establish priorities for land use, which will help guide landowners, public bodies and private investors with decision-making about proposed changes to land in the Southwest.

The contract expects that a draft for a Land Use Framework will be completed by the end of 2022, and will be possible to implement by 2023. Most importantly, a Land Use Framework for Devon will facilitate joined-up thinking in how proposed land changes are approached. This could mean, for example, that carbon sequestration becomes a priority principle for land use in the Southwest.

A land use framework may also help to facilitate other sustainability-related decision-making, such as whether land development prioritises the generation of renewable energy or food production: whether we create sustainable housing, or improve active travel links.

Land is a vital and finite resource and in Devo, rethinking land use has the potential to drastically improve future sustainability and carbon-reduction efforts. Read more about the Land Use Framework.