Motion #01

Land Use Voting Paper

Synopsis

Current Green Party policies require more land than exists in the UK. In spring 2021, Conference instructed the Land Use Policy Working Group to develop policy that resolved this tension, and to seek the opinions and involvement of Party members, policy working groups, external organisations and the Green Parties of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This policy replaces the current Land policy. It defines key principles and outcomes (based on and consistent with the Policy for a Sustainable Society) and outlines the policies to achieve land use change.

The ownership of land has its roots in history. Where no other ownership can be established, ownership currently falls to the Crown or the Duchies of Cornwall or Lancaster. We propose that that land should by default be owned by the people through one or more Trusts (this could be one for each of the devolved administrations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

We introduce the concept of owners of land also having responsibilities for their land, to link land management with healthy biodiversity and the climate crisis.

We have created a model of how land might be used in future. We propose that changes in land use start now and should be nearing completion in 10 years time.

We recommend a Land Commission to provide advice and policy to government for England and Wales, as already happens in Scotland.

In order to make these radical changes, we will be undertaking public information campaigns and training up and funding young people to manage our land differently.

Motion

Delete the current Land chapter (LD100 to LD403) and replace with the text below up until ‘END OF LAND CHAPTER’.

Context

LD001 We live on land. We play, work, farm and build on land. However, we share the land with the nature on which our survival depends. Our policy for land-use must balance humanity’s wish to control the earth for human benefit, with the need to share and not destroy what we rely on. Humanity cannot completely control the earth, and neither should it try to, as we are reliant on its full complexity. Our society should strive for a stable environment, in part by taking a stewardship approach to land management. This requires accepting responsibilities, such as to future generations and to other life, when taking land management decisions. (see PB101-105, PB201-206, PB305, MG201, RR200,201,203, 205 RR406, RR1000-1006 and WH001- WH101).

LD002 Land is finite, the primary source of all real wealth, and a common heritage. The way land is managed needs to deliver good soil health, good human health, and a resilient society, as well as maintain a stable climate and diverse ecosystems. This currently is not happening because our economy has a dysfunctional relationship with the land. A small number of people control most of the land, mostly for historical reasons, but also due to wealth inequality. This is unjust. In UK law today the Crown and Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster are the default owners of land if no one else holds the land title.

LD100 Land principles:

• The overrunning of the planet’s natural limits and the unsustainable use of its resources should be considered as one challenge (see the Philosophical Basis)
• Human activity must be managed within Earth’s natural limits
• Land is held in trust and managed by human society for its own needs and the needs of other species and future generations; its use should enhance the richness of life
• Land management is crucial in securing the protection, regeneration, and restoration of nature
• Land management should maximise multiple benefits of land
• The rights and responsibilities of those who hold land will be transparent and accountable
• People may have rights over the use of land but this should not give unconditional ownership or control of it
• Land should be managed for the “common good” of communities and therefore relevant communities should have a role in determining its use
• Land use change should be largely implemented at the landscape scale, at which natural systems tend to work best
• Benefits that come from holding land title should be distributed according to need (mainly via taxation)
• Treating land as a capital investment should be discouraged, as will be trading it for speculative profit

LD200 Outcomes

Our policies aim to deliver the following which together define the “common good” within this context:

• improved transparency of information about the ownership of land
• increasing equality of access to land for recreation, health, education, to grow food and reduce wealth inequality
• a transition in land-use that will take place over a period of 10 years
• increased biodiversity and abundance across all land
• balancing of the natural cycles, including carbon and nitrogen, to deliver a stable biosphere
• reducing emissions from land
• increasing carbon sinks and carbon uptake
• ‘Wildlife and Habitats’ policy outcomes (WH003) and ‘Food and Agriculture’ policy aims (FA101)
• healthy food and other resources for local need
• resilient communities and sustainable livelihoods

Policies

LD300 Land Ownership and Stewardship

LD301 All land in the UK may only be held by individuals, companies or other organisations that pay full tax on their UK earnings (see EC796 and EC797). The Land Registry will define and provide the record of who holds the land title and is responsible for stewarding it, which in law would be permanent tenure. There will be compulsory registration of all land (see LP517) within a statutory time limit, which will include name and address of the ultimate beneficial owners of the land.

LD302 The holder of a land title (steward), will have responsibilities for stewarding land for the “common good” (PB451, MG201) which will be reasonable and clear. Advice and financial help will be available (see LD502 and FA204 and FA300). Stewardship will be transferred with ownership and they cannot be separated. This will primarily affect large pieces of land rather than private gardens.

LD303 Land unregistered for any reason (for example where an owner cannot be established, which ceases to have an owner, or for which ownership is removed (see LD304)) will by default fall to new organisations called Commons Trusts rather than the Crown or Duchies, as now (See LD002). Commons Trusts will be independent of Government and will be funded by revenues, such as Land Value Taxation (see EC780). The Commons Trusts’ policies, and major decisions will be made in accordance with the principles of democratic participation (see PA102 and PA103).

LD304 The Commons Trusts would be empowered to:

• provide advice and guidance on land stewardship
• facilitate mediation on land stewardship conflicts in communities
• facilitate voluntary reparations for the restoration of land
• issue warnings regarding failures of land stewardship
• as a last resort, enforce stewardship requirements by preparing a prosecution case for referral to the legal system Where land is held by companies or other organisations, directors or board members will be held personally responsible for failures of land stewardship. Restorative justice is preferred, with the minimal intervention required to deliver that justice (see RR1002-1003,CJ200-206 & CJ362). The maximum penalty for breach of stewardship would be removal of the land, by compulsory purchase by the Commons Trust (as the first charge prior to all other liabilities, including the banks/ and other lenders), with the deduction of reparations and costs. Where land is held by limited companies, directors may be held personally responsible.

LD400 Land Use Transition

LD401 Changing land use is fundamental to delivering a sustainable society. Management of land should deliver multiple benefits. Policy levers (LD502) will deliver the benefits at national scale, so that the following priority order is taken into account within the broad context:

• reversing biodiversity loss
• reducing carbon emissions from land (e.g. peatland restoration),
• being self-sufficient in food production and biological sequestration (e.g. growing forests),
• managing land for timber and fibre
• growing biomass (wood and crops) for energy production

Change must start now. It should be completed within 10 years. It will be achieved by encouraging and supporting people to be good stewards of the land.

LD402 Peatlands must be restored as quickly as possible to a near natural condition. Rewetting of lowland farmland on peat must take precedence over upland peat, and begin immediately. Tree planting on peatland is unviable and must stop (and all existing forestry removed). This will be achieved primarily through land management investment and support. (See also CC014, FA206, FA301, WH101&102).

LD403 The land for the production of raw materials, such as wood, hemp and flax, will be significantly increased, to displace non-renewable (such as concrete, steel and plastic) and imported natural resources (that are produced unsustainably). This will be achieved mainly through fiscal measures (see LD502), but may need to be backed up by additional policy to encourage behavioural change through public education, price signals, taxation and regulation, and technological development.

LD404 Scotland has a Land Commission, and we will introduce Land Commission(s) in the rest of the nation that will provide policy and best practice advice on the rights and responsibility of ownership. This will apply at all scales of use – from gardens to estates; from neighbourhood to catchment or bioregion.

LD405 The Land Commission(s) will review the implications of the current distribution of land holdings, and bring forward policies towards a more equitable distribution of ownership.

LD406 Government will have a power to designate land for nationally significant infrastructure.

LD407 Government will also have the power to designate land critical for certain purposes, for example National Parks and ancient woodland; and also may make new land use designations such as peatland, wetland, saltmarsh.

LD500 Delivering land use change

LD501 Land use strategies and plans will enable the land use transition. These strategies and plans will guide the use of the policy levers (LD502), to ensure delivery of the outcomes (LD200).

Major changes will be needed to the current planning system, which will include a mechanism for delivering the key outcomes of this policy, bottom-up and top-down. Power will be held and decisions made, democratically and at the most appropriate local level (PB302). IN402 contains a duty to cooperate at national level and this will apply.

LD502 Policy levers to deliver the proposed changes include:

• Capacity building and delivering a just transition
• The planning system
• Land management investment and support
• Fiscal measures (taxes, tax breaks and grants)
• Direct government ownership and
• Enforcement of stewardship responsibilities by the Commons Trust

LD503 To build capacity and deliver a just transition we will need to facilitate a mindset change to a new way of using land. We will need education, training, and support services. It is also critical that there is support for people whose livelihoods will need to change (IN205, MC363). Measures will include:

• Public information campaigns
• Funding for land use research (see FR1400, FA301)
• Funding and expansion of agricultural colleges and land based apprenticeships (see FA204)
• Start-up funding for young entrepreneurs in agriculture/horticulture (see FA203) * Farm and land business advisory services (see FA202, FA204, FA301, FA304).
• Support for retraining and relocating.

LD504 The planning system will provide accountability and local democratic control over land use through compliance with local and regional plans. It will provide a mechanism for levying carbon tax (EC777) against land use change emissions associated with construction. In particular there will need to be land use designations for permanent pasture, forestry, peatland and land under agricultural rotation. See also FA301, LP412, LP505, LP514 and LP517.

LD505 Land management investment and support will be delivered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Forestry Commission. See also the Economics (EC781), Food and Agriculture Chapter (FA304, FA203, FA202-204), Wildlife and Habitats Chapter (WH100-106), and Forestry Chapter (FR603).

LD506 Fiscal measures - These measures include:

• Land Value Tax - see EC780, EC781, EC782, EC792 * Carbon tax - see EC777, FA301 and CC121
• Tax breaks and “eco-taxes” - see EC776
• Grants (including for land use change)

LD507 Direct government ownership (local, regional and UK) includes public forestry estate (FR200), and social housing (HO500-505).

LD508 Enforcement of stewardship responsibilities - As a mechanism of last resort Commons Trust will have enforcement powers (see LD306).

END OF LAND CHAPTER

Changes that need to be made to align with the proposed Land chapter.

Climate Emergency

CC121 currently reads: “CC121 To drive change throughout society the UK should combine a carbon tax and dividend with publicity campaigns and possible carbon rationing. For instance, it should require all adverts for high carbon products, including food, to carry an ‘environmental health warning’. The carbon tax would reflect all emissions of greenhouse gases, not just CO2. It should have a progressive element to deter high individual emitters.”.

Change the penultimate sentence and add a sentence to CC121, so that it reads: “CC121 To drive change throughout society the UK should combine a carbon tax and dividend with publicity campaigns and possible carbon rationing. For instance, it should require all adverts for high carbon products, including food, to carry an 'environmental health warning'. The carbon tax would reflect most emissions of all greenhouse gases (not just CO2). See EC777 for exceptions to the carbon tax. It should have a progressive element to deter high individual emitters.”.

Delete CC141, “CC141 It should also convert to less intensive agriculture and convert grassland to forest where possible. There should be transitional arrangements and compensation for farmers where appropriate.”.

Add to CC300 the word “Land”, so that it reads: “CC300 The Climate Emergency is also covered in the following chapters of the PSS:

• Countryside
• Economics
• Education
• Energy
• Europe
• Food and Agriculture
• Forestry
• Housing
• Industry
• International
• Land
• Local Planning and Built Environment
• Marine and Coastal
• Pollution
• Transport”

Crime and Justice

Insert reference to the Land Chapter into CJ361, so it reads: “CJ361 While the protection of the environment would be promoted in accordance with the principles set out herein, a strong legal base will make it both easier and more desirable to establish community-based and regional forums for the settlement of environmental disputes and for preventing environmental harm by means of voluntary agreement. Third party mediation of multi-group disputes, where there are genuine conflicts of interest in the community, are now well-developed techniques and should be adopted in preference to authoritarian planning decision making structures (See LD306). Coercion should be a last resort.”.

Countryside

Insert references to the Land Chapter into CY400 so that it reads, “CY400 The Green Party will seek to integrate environmental, social and economic objectives in all areas of countryside and rural policy, with the overall aims to:
a) Revitalise the economy and life of rural communities;
b) Legislate to reform land tenure and access to land. (see LD300);
c) Legislate to stop further destruction of wildlife habitats, the soil, the landscape, ancient monuments and our countryside heritage;
d) Enact policies that will make the whole countryside more hospitable to wildlife, entailing increased protection for wildlife and habitats and delivery of meaningful landscape-scale conservation and restoration;
e) Increase the area and quality of woods, orchards, agroforestry, hedges and other tree cover (see Food and Agriculture and Land Use Chapters);
f) Ensure food security, integrating human health and wellbeing, environmental protection, animal welfare and decent livelihoods for farmers, farm workers and growers;
g) Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop appropriate renewable energy especially at local and community level.”.

Delete paragraphs CY520-527 (Agriculture) “CY520 Agriculture forms an important part of the rural economy, producing food and other products, generating income and providing employment. Agricultural land makes up a large part of the countryside and rural landscape and supports diverse wildlife habitats. Green Party policies on Food and Agriculture aim to improve farming livelihoods, provide safe and nutritious food, improve long-term food security and increase regional and local self-reliance in food.
CY521 The Green Party will support shorter supply chains and direct links between producers and consumers to maximise income generation in rural areas and to supply healthier, fresher food. We will discourage large-scale agribusiness, processors and retailers which take large profit margins, concentrate jobs in urban centres and cause the closure of small, local retailers.
CY522 The Green Party will discourage the amalgamation of farms, support family farms, improve access to land for new entrants to farming and horticulture and favour the setting up of sustainable, small-scale and labour-intensive enterprises and their associated dwellings. We support sustainable diversification and multiple use of agricultural land and buildings, for instance for appropriate renewable energy, tourism, recreational pursuits and low-impact enterprises.
CY523 The Green Party will support small-scale, environmentally benign farming systems that protect the soil, biodiversity and water resources, minimise greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, support ‘joined-up' wildlife habitats and provide secure jobs in rural communities. We support farming and land management which conserve and, where appropriate, increase woods, orchards, agroforestry, hedges and other trees. We will phase out ‘factory farming' and discourage farming systems highly dependent on fossil fuels and imported feed that have large-scale environmental impacts and tend to reduce rural income and employment.
CCY524 Soil is the biggest pool of carbon stored in the land, and is an important wildlife habitat in its own right. Soil is also an essential resource without which human civilisation cannot survive, yet farming is too often responsible for depletion and degradation of the soil. Through legislation and support for agri-environment schemes, the Green Party will ensure that all farming and land uses protect and enhance the soil. CY525 Agriculture accounts for a large proportion of the pollution of watercourses with nitrates, phosphates and sediments from fertilisers, inappropriate application and disposal of manure and from soil erosion. Release and deposition of nitrogen compounds pose threats to biodiversity. Pesticide spraying can threaten watercourses and the health of farm workers, rural communities and consumers. The Green Party will support a strategy to reduce release of nitrogen compounds and other pollutants, will increase monitoring of watercourses and enforce penalties for pollution of watercourses and unsafe or inappropriate use of pesticides.
CY526 The Green Party will work towards replacing the Common Agricultural Policy, and while it still exists, support a radical reorientation of the CAP to support sustainable farming systems that protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity, ensure fair and secure farm incomes, support sustainable and thriving rural communities and promote regional and local self-reliance in food.
CY527 The Green Party welcomes the concept of agri-environment schemes such as Environmental Stewardship and initiatives such as catchment-sensitive farming, where agricultural support may be used for environmentally sympathetic ends. We support extension of the concept to the whole of the countryside. We encourage further investment as having a positive role to play in securing the future of the countryside.”.

Economy

EC777 currently reads: “EC777 A carbon tax will be introduced whereby a steadily rising price will be placed on sources of all greengas emissions, including agricultural emissions and those embedded in imports . Part of the tax revenue will be paid out as dividends to UK residents, while the rest will be used to promote sustainable behaviours, investment in zero carbon solutions, and meeting international climate obligations.”

Change the first sentence and insert a second sentence so that it reads:
“EC777 A carbon tax will be introduced whereby a steadily rising price will be placed on sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and those embedded in imports . The exception to this will be all (non-built environment) emissions from land and livestock management, which will be discouraged via land management investment support (see FA301, FA602, LD505), or restricted via the planning system (see LD502, LD504). Part of the tax revenue will be paid out as dividends to UK residents, while the rest will be used to promote sustainable behaviours, investment in zero carbon solutions, and meeting international climate obligations.”

In EC781, insert the word “stewardship”, replace ‘farming subsidies’ with ‘land management investment and support’ and replace the word “landowners” with “land holders”, so that it reads:
“EC781 There will be no exemptions for different land uses from this policy. Where stewardship obligations are placed on land holders to conserve wildlife habitats, archaeological sites or other landscape features, the capital value of the land may be assessed as zero or negative, and LVT would then become a subsidy. The effect of LVT on UK Agriculture will be managed through changes to land management investment and support, in line with objectives laid out in the Food & Agriculture Chapter. LVT will be introduced gradually over a number of years. As a transitional measure, where land necessarily attached to a domestic dwelling was subject to a mortgage on the day the tax was introduced, the tax would apply only to the value of the land net of the mortgage. Owner occupiers aged over 65 years will not be exempt, but they will be able to ‘roll over’ payments until the home is sold.”

Energy

Delete “EN015 Biofuels will be sustainably sourced within the UK (see Forestry policy).”
And replace with: “EN015 Biofuels will be sustainably sourced within the UK, and therefore the quantity available will be limited. (See FR700).”

Add new policy “EN017 Solar Photovoltaic will largely be deployed on roofs. Solar farms will only be deployed on land where there is no better use of that land (see LD401).”.

Food and Agriculture

FA203 currently reads:
“FA203 Financial Support for Food and Farming – access to nutritious food is a right which should be upheld and so we will use public funds to support the production of wholesome food in environmentally and socially sustainable ways.

• We will change the basis of agriculture support toward supporting a combination of sustained, fairly rewarded employment, , producing nutritious food, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, high standards of animal welfare, enhancing wildlife habitats, providing ecosystem services and promoting a transition to non-chemical methods of farming.
• We will develop a mechanism to intervene, when necessary to ensure that prices and incomes are fair and sustainable throughout the food system.
• As a condition of public support farmers and growers should declare the production methods and inputs that they use and this information will be made publicly available.
• We will encourage new entrants to agriculture and horticulture and enable access to land and the provision of the necessary finance and training.”

In the first bullet point under FA203, delete the following: “We will change the basis of agriculture support toward supporting a combination of sustained, fairly rewarded employment, , producing nutritious food, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, high standards of animal welfare, enhancing wildlife habitats, providing ecosystem services and promoting a transition to non-chemical methods of farming.”
And replace with: “Agriculture support will be provided by the Land Management Investment and Support scheme (see LD505). This will encourage a combination of sustained and fairly rewarded employment, producing nutritious food, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, high standards of animal welfare, enhancing wildlife habitats, the providing of ecosystem services and the promoting a transition to non-chemical methods of farming.”

FA204 (first bullet) currently reads,
“Intermediary Bodies – in order to achieve the required transformation of the Food and Agriculture Systems we will need to establish an organisational infrastructure to support and sustain the changes. We will:

• Establish a Food and Agriculture Commission to develop and implement the structural and financial changes including changes to agriculture support, regulation and taxation that we propose to introduce.”.

To reflect the changes introduced in the new Land Chapter, replace with
“Intermediary Bodies – in order to achieve the required transformation of the Food and Agriculture Systems we will need to establish an organisational infrastructure to support and sustain the changes. We will:

• Establish a Food and Agriculture Commission to develop and implement structural and financial changes, including changes to land management investment and support, regulation and taxation. Changes will be delivered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Forestry Commission (see LD505)

FA301 currently reads:
“FA301 Food, Agriculture and Climate Change – climate change is the most profound challenge facing the planet. Agriculture and food production account for some 10% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Soil is the most important carbon store in the UK.

• All farmers will be supported through advice and guidance to manage their farms to reduce GHG emissions to net zero by 2030. Carbon sequestration will be one of the outcomes to attract payment under the revised farming support scheme.
• We will set rigorous targets for GHG reductions, to reduce emissions to zero by 2030 across the Food and Agriculture System to cover farms and the whole supply, manufacturing and distribution system including imports.
• We will promote a move to a diet with significantly less meat consumption that will require fewer farm animals, reducing emissions from ruminant digestion and releasing areas of grassland for crops, forestry or wildlife.
• We will introduce a carbon tax and this will apply both to agricultural inputs and to agricultural products based on the net greenhouse gases released during their production.
• We support the development of appropriate renewable energy systems on farms; we will monitor the growing of crops specifically for fuel.
• Lowland peat soils are vulnerable to erosion and carbon loss; we will support applied research to ensure that they are managed in a manner that reduces GHG emissions and returns them to being net sequesters of carbon.”

In the first bullet point under FA301, delete the second sentence:
“Carbon sequestration will be one of the outcomes to attract payment under the revised farming support scheme.”
And replace with:
“Land management investment and support will encourage food production, carbon sequestration and discourage greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities.”

In the third bullet point under FA301, delete:
“We will promote a move to a diet with significantly less meat consumption that will require fewer farm animals, thus reducing emissions from ruminant digestion and releasing areas of grassland for crops, forestry or wildlife.”
And replace with:
“We will promote a move to a diet with significantly less meat consumption that will require fewer farm animals. This will reduce emissions from ruminant digestion and release land for crops, forestry and wildlife.”

In the fourth bullet point under FA301, delete:
“We will introduce a carbon tax and this will apply both to agricultural inputs and to agricultural products based on the net greenhouse gases released during their production.”
And replace with:
“The carbon tax will be applied to agricultural inputs (such as diesel and fertilisers) (see EC777). Significant land use emissions will be in part limited through the planning systems and land designations. (See LD504).”

In the sixth and final bullet point under FA301, delete:
“Lowland peat soils are vulnerable to erosion and carbon loss; we will support applied research to ensure that they are managed in a manner that reduces GHG emissions and returns them to being net sequesters of carbon.”
And replace with:
“Lowland peat soils are vulnerable to erosion and carbon loss; we will restore them to being net sequesters of carbon (see LD402).”

FA602 first bullet currently reads:

FA602 Healthy and Sustainable Food Standards

• We will support a progressive transition from a diet dominated by meat and animal products to one with a higher proportion of plant-based foods by public education and the operation of the carbon tax.

Change the first bullet so that it reads:

FA602 Healthy and Sustainable Food Standards

• We will support a progressive transition from a diet dominated by meat and animal products to one with a higher proportion of plant-based foods led via public education, public procurement and the impact of carbon tax (EC777) and

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changes to public investment and support for intensive meat and dairy production (LD505).

Forestry

Delete “FR200

1. Sustained cooperative relationship between public and private estates.
2. Increase the area of cover in the UK to average cover across Europe.
3. UK self-sufficiency in forest products.
4. Optimise the quantity and quality of all forest products.
5. Increase the involvement, employment and enjoyment of local communities.
6. Maintain and protect ancient woodland and priority habitats.
7. Protect and increase the Public Forest Estate (PFE).”.

And replace with
“FR200
Increase the area of cover in the UK to be between 30% and 40% in 10 years, meeting these forestry objectives within the context of the land use key outcomes (See LD200):

• Sustained cooperative relationship between public and private estates
• UK net self-sufficiency in forestry products to displace some fossil fuel based products (eg plastics).
• Optimise the quantity and quality of all forest products.
• Increase the involvement, employment and enjoyment of local communities.
• Maintain and protect ancient woodland and priority habitats as well as increasing biodiversity, abundance and soil health.
• Protect and increase the Public Forest Estate (PFE).
• Increase the area of fruit and nut trees
• Increase the biomass of living trees for carbon sequestration and remove pinewood from peatland to eliminate emissions
• Allow for the use of forest residue and waste wood as well as limited plantation for energy.”.

FR401 Add references to the Land chapter, so that the paragraph reads, “FR401 The expansion of the UK estate/tree cover shall be driven through three component parts (in addition to other policy levers described in LD502).

• Forest Services, to manage the land cover of the PFE, allocate grants, enforce regulations and implement and police pest control
• Forest Research, to oversee and coordinate research through the PFE, academia and the commercial sector
• Forest Enterprise, to manage the PFE sustainably, plant, grow and fell standing timber, sustain balanced supply chains and encourage access.”.

Delete “FR600 A Green Government will facilitate an increase in overall tree cover so that it reaches a level that is on a par with average coverage in countries across Europe, consisting of unmanaged forest and woodland; harvested forest and woodland; unharvested (but managed) forest and woodland; short rotation forest and woodland; short rotation coppice; and agroforestry.”.

And replace with “FR600 An increase in overall tree cover shall be facilitated so that it achieves the objective in FR200, consisting of unmanaged forest and woodland; harvested forest and woodland; unharvested (but managed) forest and woodland; woodland; open canopy woodland; and agroforestry.”.

Delete “FR700 A Green Government will facilitate extensive planting of short rotation forestry and coppice for energy production.”.

And replace with “FR700 Planting of short rotation forestry and coppice for energy production shall be facilitated, where land use priorities allow. (See LD401)”.

Insert new “FR701 Forest and sawmill residues can be used for energy production, but only if they are not better applied to preserving forest soil health and sequestering carbon, increasing biodiversity or producing other wood products.”.

FR800 currently reads, “Supporting Green Party Industrial Policies IP202 and IP241, and the climate emergency policy CC260, a Green Government will work to reduce UK imports of timbers that can be grown in the UK to zero, and also promote a 'Wood First' policy in all new buildings and in retrofitting existing ones.”.

Insert into current FR800, the words, “a Green Government will work to reduce”, before “UK imports”, “and wood products” after “timbers” and “net”, before “zero”, so that it reads:
“FR800 Supporting Green Party Industrial Policies IP202 and IP241, and climate change policy CC260, a Green Government will work to reduce UK imports of timbers and wood products that can be grown in the UK to net zero, and also promote a 'Wood First' policy in all new buildings and in retrofitting existing ones.”

In FR1400, replace “energy creation”, with “ energy production” and a reference at the Land chapter, so that it reads:
“FR1400 Funding shall be provided for innovative and targeted research, including different timber species' strengths and utility; CO2 sequestration potential, future planting needs and species suitability under climatic changes; mapping research on land areas most suited to energy production, food growing, urban growth and conservation; planting opportunities mapping; research into organic pest control; climate emergency adaptation and resilience opportunities, particularly flood mitigation (See LD503).”.

Housing

In HO401(a), replace the reference to LD400 (LVT), with a reference to EC780, where the substantive policy sits, so that it reads:
“a) gradually introduce a Land Value Tax (see EC780) to reduce profits from speculation on existing homes and development sites, and in the short term increase the amount of land held by Community Land Trusts (see HO513-514);”.

Industry

IN401 to IN404 currently read:
IN401 The National Spatial Strategy will ensure individual planning and investment decisions add up to a national plan that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

IN402 The national spatial strategy will replace the current failed market mechanisms with a planning system that it is locally and democratically accountable, not to banks or speculative financial institutions. This will prioritise retention of agriculture, commonly owned land and wildspace in the UK. We support extension of these land designations (rather than reclassification to reduce them, such as being proposed for the Green Belt in many locations) in the UK. This strategy will focus on urban regeneration, reversing the current trend to convert rural sites to industrial and urban areas.

IN403 This will fill the void created by the revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategies, so that the 'Duty to Cooperate' principle extends to a national level, ensuring that the overall nature of development is both socially and environmentally sustainable.

IN404 This will include incentives to financially prioritise the refurbishment of existing buildings and suitable brownfield sites, and support the transition of rural communities from commuter towns to sustainable communities. New green jobs will be actively created by prioritising development of sustainable rural livelihoods and locally sustainable enterprises across the UK rather than speculative development focused in existing job-rich areas. This will include incentives to promote clustering of zero carbon, zero waste enterprises in new social enterprise zones – to encourage sustainable enterprises to replicate and co-locate.

Insert into IN401-IN403, the word “Economic” before “Spatial Strategy”; re-word IN402-404 so that it reflects the proposed Land Use policy and tidies up the wording, merges IN403 and 404 and re-numbers accordingly, so that the paragraphs now read:

“IN401 The National Economic Spatial Strategy will ensure individual planning and investment decisions add up to a national plan that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

IN402 The National Economic Spatial Strategy will replace the current failed market mechanisms with a planning system that is accountable, not to banks or speculative financial institutions, but democratically to communities. This economic spatial strategy will, along with land use strategies (LD501), steer the planning system to deliver the key outcomes laid out in LD200. These new strategies will fill the void created by the revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategies, so that the 'Duty to Cooperate' principle extends to a national level.

IN403 The National Economic Spatial Strategy will:

• Create new green jobs by prioritising development of sustainable rural livelihoods (See CY400) and locally sustainable enterprises across the UK rather than speculative development focused in existing job-rich areas.
• Delivering industrial activities required for rapid transition to zero carbon.
• Support the transition of rural communities from commuter towns or retirement towns, to more self-reliant, diverse sustainable communities.
• promote the clustering of zero carbon, zero waste enterprises in new social enterprise zones.
• Design national and regional resilience into our economy.
• Prioritise the refurbishment of existing buildings and suitable brownfield sites to deliver new houses and business spaces.”.

LP407 currently reads: “Land designated as Green Belt should be used to contain urban sprawl, to maintain the separation of settlements, to protect prime agricultural land around settlements, to encourage urban regeneration and compact towns and cities, and to complement the ecological and cultural value of other designations. Green Belt should be used to make the sustainable built environment more resilient to flooding, make space for biodiversity, agriculture, energy production and sustainable transport in line with land use prioritisation set out in LD401. The local authority role in reviewing and protecting their green belt is set out in LP510.”.

Replace the penultimate sentence with “Green Belt should be used to increase the built environment’s resilience to flooding and to sustain abundant and diverse wildlife, produce food, capture renewable energy and deliver sustainable transport in line with land use prioritisation set out in LD401” so that it reads

LP407 Land designated as Green Belt should be used to contain urban sprawl, to maintain the separation of settlements, to protect prime agricultural land around settlements, to encourage urban regeneration and compact towns and cities, and to complement the ecological and cultural value of other designations. Green Belt should be used to increase the built environment’s resilience to flooding; and to sustain abundant and diverse wildlife, produce food, capture renewable energy and deliver sustainable transport in line with land use prioritisation set out in LD401. The local authority role in reviewing and protecting their green belt is set out in LP510.

In IN408, delete the words “(see LD203-6”) and insert references to the new Land chapter, so that it reads: “IN408 Current land rights encourage unsustainable industrial activity. A Land Value Tax would redress this problem. (See EC780-782, LD303 and LD506).”.

IN615 currently reads, “Numerous treaties designed for eco-crisis management have failed to bring far reaching improvements. The problem is not one of understanding but of enforcement. This role needs to be carried out at the national level (see PL410) and aided by a new European Environmental Agency (EEA). As well as enforcement, the EEA should aim to provide well researched information and to establish standards. It must be well resourced to ensure that standards can be enforced. Funds should be diverted from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). (TNCs - see also IP400 to IP431)”

Redraft the last four sentences of IN615, to reflect that we are no longer part of the EU, so that it reads: “IN615 Numerous treaties designed for eco-crisis management have failed to bring far reaching improvements. The problem is not one of understanding but of enforcement. The Environment Agency must have sufficient resources to provide well researched information and enforce established standards. The Common’s Trusts (see LD300) will also have an enforcement role to ensure land is appropriately stewarded.”

Local Planning & the Built Environment

Delete LP407, “LP407 The Green Party strongly supports the provision of green belts to contain urban sprawl, to maintain the separation of settlements, to protect prime agricultural land around settlements, to encourage urban regeneration and compact towns and cities, and to complement the ecological and cultural value of other designations listed in LP405. The Green Party would put a greater emphasis on the green belt’s use for wider sustainable built environment considerations such as flooding, biodiversity, agriculture, energy production and sustainable transport.The local authority role in reviewing and protecting their green belt is set out in LP510.”

Insert a new LP407, to reflect the Green Party’s land use prioritisation:
“LP407 Land designated as Green Belt should be used to contain urban sprawl, to maintain the separation of settlements, to protect prime agricultural land around settlements, to encourage urban regeneration and compact towns and cities, and to complement the ecological and cultural value of other designations. Green Belt should be used to make the sustainable built environment more resilient to flooding, make space for biodiversity, agriculture, energy production and sustainable transport in line with land use prioritisation set out in LD401. The local authority role in reviewing and protecting their green belt is set out in LP510.”.

Amend the second sentence of LP412 to reference LD504, so that LP412 reads:
“LP412 Planning use classes should be used to ensure that the built environment meets the needs of the community. The index of classes will be set at national level and may include new use classes such as a use class for holiday homes (see HO401) and for categories of non built-environment land (see LD504). Bioregional/regional strategies will include quotas for each use class to be determined via citizens assemblies and reviewed every two years.”

LP413 currently reads, “All planning applications will be required to submit whole life carbon and energy calculations. These are to include embodied carbon and energy in both the up-front construction and anticipated maintenance, as well as the operational carbon and energy of the building in use. Embodied and operational carbon to be reported separately in kgCO2e/m2 and kgCO2e/m2/yr respectively. All planning permissions will be granted subject to a pre-commencement condition requiring updated whole life carbon and energy calculations based on construction information.”.

Amend the first sentence of LP413 to include land use change emissions, the relevant references (LD501, 502, 504 and 505, EC777), so that LP412 reads:
“LP413 All planning applications will be required to submit whole life carbon (including land use change emissions, where relevant, see LD501, 502, 504 and 505) and energy calculations (see EC777). These are to include embodied carbon and energy in both the up-front construction and anticipated maintenance, as well as the operational carbon and energy of the building in use. Embodied and operational carbon to be reported separately in kgCO2e/m2 and kgCO2e/m2/yr respectively. All planning permissions will be granted subject to a pre-commencement condition requiring updated whole life carbon and energy calculations based on construction information.”.

Insert into current LP505, “and land use strategies”, and “and local levels”, so that it reads:
“LP505 Local planning authorities have a duty to implement their Local Plans within the constraints of the existing built environment and land they oversee, and within carbon budgets and land use strategies set at national, regional and local levels. This provision should meet the need identified in housing strategies (see HO401-409).”.

Delete from current LP506, “, for example by integrating natural habitats into solar farms or on rooftops”, so that it reads:
“LP506 As far as possible, the demand for new urban land should be minimised through a combination of demand-reduction policies (see for example HO401) and through optimising densities. Land value taxation would create incentives to bring forward empty brownfield sites for development, and local authorities would be given stronger powers to tackle remaining land hoarding (see LP516) . Any development of present settlements should be confined within the existing boundaries where possible, and where a loss of countryside is deemed necessary it should go on the least sensitive land that is most accessible by public transport, cycling and walking to existing economic and social facilities. The maximum environmental value should also be obtained on land used for development.”.

LP514 currently reads “TheGreen Party would empower local authorities to use streamlined compulsory purchase powers to assemble areas with fragmented ownership, and to buy the land at existing use value. We would also support the allocation of more land for self-build.The Green Party would explore how the Land Bank and Community Land Trust models developed in theUSA could be used to maximise the benefits from land and property acquisition.”.

Insert a sentence into LP514, to make it clear that the allocation of land for self-build is part of the overall area of land allocated for new build and not in addition, so that it reads:
“LP514 The Green Party would empower local authorities to use streamlined compulsory purchase powers to assemble areas with fragmented ownership, and to buy the land at existing use value. A greater proportion of land allocated to new homes should be made available for self-build. The Green Party would explore how the Land Bank and Community Land Trust models developed in the USA could be used to maximise the benefits from land and property acquisition.”.

LP516 currently reads,
“LP516 Where owners of land designated for development in the local plan fail to bring it forward for development in a timely manner, local authorities should exercise compulsory purchase orders in the public interest, to prevent land hoarding.”

Replace with the following,so that it reads,
“LP516 To minimise land hoarding, local authorities should exercise compulsory purchase orders in the public interest. See also LD508.”

Amend first sentence of LP517 to account for master land registry policy being in LD301 and add cross references, so that LP517 reads:
“LP517 For transparency the Land Registry will be publicly owned, complete and open to inspection (see LD301). Local authorities would also be required to publish open data on planning permissions with some details of the plans. All other public authorities that collect data on transactions and options agreements would also be required to publish this in an open format. All public authorities considering disposal of land assets would be required to do so transparently, publishing its intention to do so, publishing key financial information after the land has been sold, and exploring options for other public or community bodies to purchase the land (see also HO514).”

Marine and Coastal

Delete “MC204 All values, rules, and management systems that are employed to best sustain our land area can and should be similarly deployed in the marine environment.
So, for instance, conservation designations, environmental impact assessments, planning regulations, etc, should have an equivalent within the ocean.”.

Insert a new “MC204 The planning system should cover all land in the UK, and this should include UK territorial water and UK exclusive economic Zone. This means that conservation designations, environmental impact assessments, planning regulations, etc, would equally apply to UK land as UK waters. (See also LD501 and LD504).”.

Delete “MC307 The Green Party would seek large-scale reform of the Crown Estate (which currently has a monopoly on the sea bed around the UK, and is required to administer this on a purely commercial basis), devolving its powers to more locallybased levels of accountability within government and changing its remit to emphasise long-term environmental sustainability of our marine environment.”.

Insert a new “MC307 As set out in LD300, the Crown Estate (which currently manages the sea bed around the UK), would be replaced by Commons Trusts. The Trusts would manage the land and sea for their long term sustainability.”.

Delete “MC311, The Green Party would ensure that conservation of the marine environment in the Overseas Territories is funded to a level equal to its global significance.”

Insert a new “MC311 The Green Party would ensure that conservation of the marine environment in the Overseas Territories is funded to a level equal to its global significance. This will in part happen by the creation of Commons Trusts (see LD300) for each oversea’s territory along similar lines to Commons Trusts created for the UK.”

NB Policies MC370-372 inclusive do not currently exist

Insert a new paragraph MC371, “The issuing of licences for Wind and Marine Energy will become the responsibility of the Commons Trusts (see LD300) which will have to balance competing outcomes laid out in LD200 when making such decisions and specifying conditions.”.

From MC376, delete the phrase, “We currently know relatively little about the sea bed, except that its biology is extremely diverse and its physics can be stormy. Therefore,” and capitalise the next word, so that it reads:
“MC376 Installations should not be dumped or abandoned at sea. As a matter of principle, operators should expect when constructing an installation, that they will be later responsible for completely removing it.”.

Renumber current MC373-378, MC373-377, respectively.

Natural Resources and Waste Management

In NR421, replace “the State” with “the Commons Trusts”, so that it reads:
“NR421 All mineral rights will be held in trust by the Commons Trusts (see LD300) on behalf of the communities which occupy the land or, in the case of off-shore rights, which border it. Planning consent to exploit minerals will be subject to both local and national agreement. It will be a requirement of such consent that the environmental impact of any work is minimised and for extraction activities to maximise the resources obtained. The affected land should be returned to a similar or improved ecological status.”.

Public Administration and Government

Make minor textual changes to PA108 and add reference to the Land chapter, so that it reads:
PA108 Citizenship should be viewed as a set of rights and responsibilities based on residence in and commitment to a community or geographical area. Those rights include the right to basic material security and shelter, and participation in the democratic process (See also LD100). The age of majority (at which full criminal responsibility and the power to make contracts is acquired) should be reduced to 16, to clarify the age at which children become adults in the eyes of the law, with accompanying full citizenship rights and responsibilities.

Tourism

Amend and also update the reference in TM043 from “EC793” to “EC781”, so that it reads:
“Some areas have many second homes/holiday flats, which are only occupied for a few weeks a year. This produces very limited benefit to the local economy. It is detrimental to the local communities, pushing house prices higher and pricing local people out of the market. The policy of applying a Land Value Tax shall have no reduction or exemption for properties which are left vacant. It will deter the ownership econd 'holiday' homes and encourage greater use of underused buildings (See 781).”.

Transport

Delete “TR022 These strategies would influence demand both at point of use and indirectly through promotion, information, taxation and research. In the longer term this would also include the use of land use controls. They would also act on all aspects of transport and institutional infrastructure, e.g. regulations and subsidies.”

Insert a new “TR022 These strategies would influence demand both at point of use and indirectly through promotion, information, taxation and research. Local and regional land plans must take this into account. (See LD500). These strategies would also act on all aspects of transport and institutional infrastructure, e.g. regulations and subsidies.

Rights and Responsibilities

In RR406, insert a reference to the Land chapter, so that it reads:
“RR406 The Green Party supports communities to put in place their own local constitutions, or Community Bills of Rights. The Green Party recognises:

• the right to local self government
• the rights of nature to exist and to flourish, and
• the community’s right to place legal limitations on corporate legal privileges, including the right to declare a company’s actions unlawful and prohibited, where that company proposes to carry out an activity in the community which would violate that community’s rights (See LD306).”.

Workers Rights

In WR203 insert a reference to the Land chapter, so that it reads, “Workplace democracy will help us to attain these long-term aims. However, it must go hand in hand with other reforms that deal with discrimination, the power of the state, the ownership of land (See LD200) and the control of information. All these influence our ability to control our working lives, which in turn affects an individual's ability to care for the planet.”.

No changes are proposed in this Voting Paper to the Records on Policy Statements or the 2019 General Election Manifesto.