Or perhaps it is the other way around!
With the publication of ‘Making the Most Out of England’s Land’ on the 13th of December, I was eager to see how the issue of land, how it should be used, who should benefit from it and who should lead the debate would be tackled by the Land Use in England Committee. We have seen many reports and guidance published by the Scottish Land Commission north of the Border, and I think I have read (almost) all of them, so what are another 103 pages between friends? First things first, the tone is entirely different from anything official we see on the issue of land in Scotland; in the summary alone, we are seeing language like ‘help’, ‘supporter’ ‘, facilitator’ and ‘appropriate’ and would you believe it, they are talking about helping and supporting the land owners and managers so that they can make sure land delivers as much as it can for everyone. It recognises the challenging environment they are currently operating in and demands urgent clarity on future support for agriculture. It identifies how land use balance is hard to get right with many competing objectives around biodiversity, climate change, housing, food production and wellbeing. Yet, the word ‘ownership’ appears only twice in the report. Now I know that the Committee’s focus is Land Use, but in Scotland, we have been led to believe that the only way Land Use can benefit the many is if the existing ownership pattern is addressed. Despite evidence to the contrary, the focus remains on breaking up large Estates, and it raises the question of how will Scotland meet all these competing demands if scale is encouraged to be viewed as the enemy. Creating a Land Use Commission and a land use framework has so much opportunity to do good if its commissioners look at land holistically and avoid focussing on one issue when there are so many areas where they could add value. The appointment of the Commissioners will be critical, and I encourage the Land Use Committee to consider the importance of including land owners and managers with first-hand experience managing land for the benefit of the many. However, the big ticket item in the report seems to be access and the right to roam, something that has been strengthened in Scotland since the 2003 Land Reform Bill came into play. This is where there is a huge opportunity to learn from Scotland and some of the mistakes that have been made. In Scotland, all guidance and interventions from the Land Commission have focussed on the rights of those to gain access without highlighting the importance of doing so safely and responsibly. Issues of fly-tipping, sheep worrying and anti-social behaviour rumble on with minimal comment – however, any sign of restricted access, no matter the reason, is quickly jumped on and made an example of. To gain buy-in from land owners, the Land Use Commission in England must look at how access can be provided in a manner that creates a safe and constructive environment for all competing land uses and doesn’t demonise those trying to meet our food production and climate change goals. Interestingly there is minimal reference to community engagement in the report, something that has been hugely successful in building positive relationships between landowners and those who access the land. If access rights are on the agenda, it strikes me that community engagement has to go hand in hand to ensure a mutual understanding of challenges and opportunities. Scottish Land and Estates has many examples of excellent working relationships, much of which was in place before the Land Commission’s guidance. And although a route map must be created for the future of land use, I hope time is also given to understanding, recognising and celebrating the immense good that is already done. Many land owners and managers in Scotland feel they are being demonised no matter what they do and what they deliver – unless of course what they are doing is breaking up their land holding. So can England learn from what has gone before in Scotland? Absolutely, but I for one am not quite ready for a carbon copy!
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