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Soils in the built environment

Planning

Background

Defra is working with the Department of Communities and Local Government and other stakeholders to ensure that consideration is given to sustainable soil use and protection during planning and development.

Using land for buildings and infrastructure can damage soils irreversibly (soil sealing). This places severe restrictions on the ability of soil to support other functions.

Much of this damage can be avoided if sufficient thought is given to what soil functions need to be preserved, utilised or even enhanced. Regional and local development plans provide a basis for this consideration, and should aim to minimise the impact of development on soil.

Soils and Planning

Defra is working with DCLG to develop a Soils Toolkit for Planners, which will provide easily digestible information to ensure that soils receive the necessary consideration at the appropriate stages in the planning process.

Soils are considered under the planning system in several planning policy statements and planning policy guidance documents. The document below provides a summary of the pertinent references:

These planning documents require planners to balance continued development pressure with the need to minimise its impact on the soil resource as part of consideration of sustainable development. Currently however, there is little guidance available to help planners to understand how to consider soil in planning decisions.

The decisions planners make involve determining both where and how development can take place. The conditions set by planners in granting planning permission are a useful mechanism for ensuring responsible behaviour by the construction industry. The work that Defra is undertaking to produce a Code of Practice for Sustainable Use and Management of Soils on Construction Sites and the proposed revisions to the British Standard for Topsoil will provide valuable reference material for planners when considering what soil protection measures it would be appropriate to include as conditions of planning permission. This mechanism will also aid the dissemination of these documents and help promote sustainable use of soil on construction sites.

Development pressure

Demand for housing and associated infrastructure forms the main pressure for developing land in rural areas and for recycling land in urban areas.

Land Use Change Survey data published in October 2003 shows that, between 1996 and 1998, around 8,000 hectares per year (80 km2 per year) changed from non-previously developed land to developed land. These figures have been relatively consistent since 1990. More recent figures are not available because rural areas statistics are updated infrequently, sometimes only every five years. For further information see the statistics pages.

In February 2003 the Government launched the Communities Plan - Sustainable Communities: Building for the future. The Plan sets out a long-term programme of action for delivering sustainable communities in both urban and rural areas.

This includes plans to build a significant number of additional homes by 2016 and identifies four growth areas - Thames Gateway, London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough corridor, Ashford, and Milton Keynes-South Midlands.

Soils and planning policy

As part of the review of the planning system, Defra is ensuring that appropriate reference to soils is included in the new planning policy statements. The following planning policy statements and planning policy guidance cover soils:

Unsealed soil and green space

Green spaces are areas with unsealed (undeveloped) soils, which support vegetation and often have a recreational use. They are present in the form of gardens/allotments, open spaces/parks, derelict/brownfield land, road verges and school playing fields.

Careful planning of green spaces can mitigate the loss of soil functions in developed areas. Factors to be considered are:

  • Use of in situ soils versus imported materials
  • Size
  • Location.

Well managed unsealed soils can provide services to the surrounding developed area, eg. infiltration of water (rainfall) to reduce flood potential.

Case study – The East Midlands Soil Review

This scoping study was commissioned by the East Midlands Regional Assembly and partners to provide a overview of soil resources within the East Midlands area. The study detailed the extent of the different soil types present within the East Midlands area and considered the various functions that they provide. This information was then cross-referenced with potential drivers of change in soil quality to prioritise the threats to the soil resource in different parts of the region.

Case study - how to protect Hampshire's soils

Defra has been working with Hampshire County Council to develop recommendations on the sustainable management of Hampshire's soils. A project based on both soil function and soil type was completed by the National Soil Resources Institute:

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Page last modified: 15 September 2006
Page published: 1 September 2005

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs