The Government has launched a consultation on land use and how it can underpin its Plan for Change including delivering on energy infrastructure, housing and potential new towns.

The Land Use Framework will provide the principles, advanced data and tools to support decision-making by local government, landowners, businesses, farmers, and nature groups to make the most of land.

The consultation will seek views from farmers, landowners, businesses and nature groups across the length and breadth of the country.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The biggest threat to nature and food security is the climate crisis, which threatens our best farmland, food production and the livelihoods of farmers. As we deliver our mission for the UK to become a ‘clean energy superpower’ as part of the Plan for Change, we will ensure a proper balance between food security, nature preservation and clean energy.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimated in 2019 that a fifth of the UK's farming land could be repurposed forest cover, peatlands, implement catchment-sensitive farming and enable agricultural diversification. Such measures would ensure greater biodiversity and carbon capture. However, this figure does not include land for development sand infrastructure.

Currently Government estimates are closer to 10 per cent (around1.6 million hectares of farming land) to meet 2050 targets. In all cases the reduction in farmland would lead to a drive for greater efficiencies on the remaining land.

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