England's farmland faces 'land crunch' as housing and solar compete for space

England’s farmland is under increasing pressure as housing, renewable energy and nature recovery compete for limited space, a new report warns ahead of the government’s Land Use Framework due to be published this week.

The study by countryside charity CPRE – formerly the Campaign to Protect Rural England – argues that while pressure on England’s finite land is intensifying, the tools needed to manage it already exist but are not being used in a coordinated way.

The government’s Land Use Framework, expected on Wednesday (18 March), will outline how land across England should be allocated to meet priorities including housebuilding, food production, renewable energy and environmental restoration.

But CPRE says the framework alone will not resolve the growing “land crunch” unless stronger national planning and coordination are introduced.

With the government committed to building 1.5 million homes while expanding renewable energy and restoring nature, competition for land has “never been more acute”, according to the report.

Campaigners warn that poorly coordinated planning decisions risk putting further pressure on productive farmland needed for domestic food production.

Examples cited include housing developments on floodplains, solar farms being built on some of the country’s most productive agricultural land, and nature reserves being reclassified as “grey belt” – areas previously protected but considered suitable for development.

CPRE said such decisions could threaten both countryside landscapes and long-term food security if agricultural land is lost to other uses.

The report argues that the problem is not a lack of policy tools but the way existing ones are used.

It highlights six mechanisms that could guide better land use decisions, including Spatial Development Strategies and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

However, these policies are often developed separately by different government departments, creating what the report describes as a patchwork of overlapping strategies that can contradict each other.

The study estimates that an additional area of land twice the size of Wales will be needed by 2050 to meet the UK’s targets for net zero and biodiversity alone.

When housing ambitions are added to the equation, the pressure on farmland and rural areas becomes even greater.

Roger Mortlock, chief executive of CPRE, said England’s land resources are limited while the demands on them continue to grow.

“England’s land is finite, but the demands upon it are multiplying,” he said.

“So many government targets require land, but we still think in boxes about how we use it.”

Without a clear national plan, the country risks “fragmented development, needless loss of countryside, and missed opportunities to align housing, energy, food, climate and nature goals”, he warned.

Mr Mortlock said the report shows it is still possible to take a more strategic approach.

“Evidence from this report shows there is still time to think differently, and that with strategic leadership, integrated planning and a renewed commitment to fairness between places, England can overcome the land crunch.”

Ellie Brodie, author of the report and founder of consultancy Grounded Insight, said the scale of the challenge highlighted the need for better coordination between policies affecting farming, housing and nature.

“An additional area of land twice the size of Wales will be needed by 2050 to meet the UK’s targets for net zero and biodiversity alone,” she said.

She said existing planning tools could be better connected, for example by linking Local Nature Recovery Strategies with environmental payments for farmers.

“Our report shows the art of the possible, both in future and right now, with the tools we have on the table,” she said.

Ms Brodie added that Spatial Development Strategies could also help bridge historic divides between urban and rural planning.

“There is still time – just – to make changes, be ambitious and do things differently.”

Farmers and landowners are likely to watch closely how the forthcoming framework balances the competing demands of housing, renewable energy, nature recovery and food production.