Future Countryside 2026 sponsor, Rural Solutions, has shared a timely piece exploring what the Land Use Framework could mean for rural landowners and the decisions ahead.
Reflecting on the Government’s new National Land Use Framework, they note:
"In the UK we are asking more from the land than ever before, and the Framework responds to this long‑recognised reality. Food security, climate adaptation, nature recovery, clean energy, housing, and community access all require space - and the Framework is the first national attempt to quantify how much land will need to change use and where.
"The Government’s analysis concludes around 15 per cent of England’s current farmed land will need to transition into other uses during the coming decades. The remaining 85 per cent will be expected to deliver more food and more efficiently - supported by new soil data, refreshed Agricultural Land Classification and sector‑specific growth plans."
These are exactly the kinds of perspectives and questions Future Countryside 2026 is designed to bring into ongoing conversation. The event is a place to discuss and challenge ideas, anchored this year by a central question: how can we win support for a growing and recovering countryside?
For landowners and rural businesses navigating this shift, Rural Solutions offer one perspective: “For rural businesses, the Framework should be seen not as a constraint but as a strategic guide - one that helps future-proof decisions in a time of rapid change.”
Read more here and join our Future Countryside 2026 livestream for more discussion about how the countryside can both produce and restore, while supporting rural livelihoods, nature recovery, climate resilience and public access.