By Geoff White, Head of Public Policy and Communications, RICS North
A conference organised by the Newcastle-based Rural Economy and Land Use Programme (Relu) asked a very interesting question for all RICS members this month… ‘Who should run the countryside?’
Do landowners owe it to society to ensure we are provided with all the services we need from this vital national asset? Or does land ownership in today’s Britain already carry too many burdensome responsibilities?
Set in the very urban environment of The Sage, the unique North East music venue on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne, the conference was a celebration of the countryside as well as a chance to reflect on the broader issues of the day.
There were three Big Debate sessions during the day with the titles;
Food security v Environmental Responsibility – which should take precedence?
21st Century land ownership; a responsibility or a privilege?
Can protecting your countryside save the earth?
Chaired by House of Lords crossbencher Lord Haskins, the land ownership debate was brought to life by Prof David Harvey, from the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, who teamed up with environmental consultant Mark Avery to argue for ‘responsibility’ against the ‘privilege’ proponents who were land use consultant Alan Woods and Lord Joicey, principal trustee of the Ford and Etal Estate.
It was a hugely interesting – and entertaining – debate which elicited a string of spontaneous questions from the well-informed audience.
Statements included: It is privilege that generates responsibility; landowners should never farm and tenants should never own land; it’s our responsibility to manage the land in a way that does not diminish it for people in the future; we need to go beyond the concept of privilege because it is constraining; the privilege is something you enjoy but you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the responsibility; responsibility means we need to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony).
As Mark Avery said: “The entire population depends on land for a wide range of ecosystems services including ecological resources, carbon storage, flood management, and leisure facilities. Regulation is therefore essential to ensure that those privileged to own land are not entirely motivated by profit but also take into account their obligations to society.”
Much of the exhibits on the day concerned the uplands and the issues have been very well summed up in a new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on UK peatlands. It is essential reading for all RICS members working in or concerned about the countryside.
While the inquiry’s findings clearly demonstrate the value of healthy peatlands to society, it also identifies the damage that these areas have suffered and the severe consequences for biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services. A significant amount of carbon is leaking into the atmosphere from drained and deteriorating peatlands.
This is particularly alarming as a loss of only 5% of the carbon stored in peat would equate to the UK’s total annual green house gas emissions. On the other hand, healthy peatlands and those that have been restored and enhanced can make a positive contribution to tackling climate change.
The inquiry has identified a clear strategy for action to bring our peatlands back from the brink, and points the way forward to avoid the social and environmental costs of further deterioration.
This report makes clear the multiple benefits of peatland conservation and restoration, particularly in relation to carbon savings, cleaner drinking water, wildlife conservation and historic archive preservation.
The full report and a summary can be accessed from the IUCN web site www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org or direct by clicking through to the following links FULL and SUMMARY.
Other recent publications that make essential reading for anyone working in the rural sector include;
· The report Field advisors as agents of knowledge exchange from the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU).
· The article Whose land is it anyway? by journalist Peter Hetherington in the May 2011 edition of RICS magazine Modus.
· The RICS Rural Vision report represents the views and priorities of RICS members involved in a wide range of rural policy and practice in the UK.
RICS North is now on twitter at @RICSNorth.
The advantage of twitter is that it tells you what is happening right now, it delivers news to you in very brief updates; it drives traffic to your website, and it is a great way to communicate with a large number of people, many of whom you may not have met before.
For our members, we are hoping it will help you stay up-to-date not only with what is happening at RICS North in events, memberships services and policy, but also with RICS national news.
If you are already on twitter, please follow us, if not, why not take a look? All you need to do is click on the "join the conversation" link just above the blog on the North East home page.
By Geoff White, Head of Public Policy and Communications, RICS North
RICS has delivered a substantial consultation submission on the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to the Department of Communities and Local Government.
The framework has reduced the existing 1300 or so pages that contain our planning laws and guidance to a document with under 60. It constitutes a radical change in approach and, following the spirit of the government’s localism agenda, aims to reduce the amount of guidance from the centre and encourage more involvement and control at a local level.
RICS has already given a general welcome to the draft NPPF, which has attracted a wide range of both support and criticism from property professionals. While some (mainly developers!) say it hasn’t gone far enough, others (for example the National Trust) suggest it could lead to a planning free for all.
The RICS submission was based on feedback from members across the country. To ensure we included views from the North East, a two-hour roundtable meeting was held in Newcastle where those involved in planning from both the private and public sectors were able to say what they thought within Chatham House Rules.
RICS has also published a Policy Briefing document which highlights the key issues of the NPPF. You can find the document here.
By Geoff White, Head of Public Policy and Communications, RICS North
The Northern Regeneration Summit 2011 that took place in Manchester this week (w/c 10/10/11) was a cut down version of the annual think-fest put on for property professionals by Regeneration & Renewal.
Usually a two-day event, it has undergone a slim-and-tonic so it was shorter and sweeter than usual. It is no doubt a sign of the times summed up by the title of the day – Delivering More With Less In An Era Of Localism.
Sponsored by RICS North amongst others, the summit examined the key issues facing the delivery of regeneration in the North of England today.
Keynote speaker Philip Cox, Director of Local Economies, Regeneration and European Programmes at the Department for Communities and Local Government kicked it all off with the proposition that ‘regeneration is not dead, it’s different’.
He stressed that government was serious about regenerating areas, promoting growth and rebalancing the economy. With the old way now unaffordable, the new way would be less dependent on the public purse and remove obstacles to growth.
He listed government incentives, such as the New Homes Bonus, Community Infrastructure Levy, Local Government Resource Review, Tax Increment Finance and Enterprise Zones and the investment available, from the Regional Growth Fund and European Regional Development Fund to the billions earmarked for Decent Homes, Affordable Homes, the Fairness Premium and others.
Targetted investment is the key; it’s not that there is no money it’s just coming in different ways. For the first time there is a real incentive for local authorities to attract new businesses to their area, with both the ability to borrow against business rates growth and CIL.
Local Enterprise Partnerships, although at an early stage, are already beginning to think of innovative ways to encourage economic growth, he said. The message to the ‘regions’ is that the ball is in your court and the Government is playing a supporting role.
In answer to a question about managing change from Kevan Carrick FRICS, Mr Cox said it has taken a while for LEPs to stop asking government what they should do. The process has been painful and disruptive in places but the prize – more local control – makes it worthwhile.
Top tips of the day came in the session How The North Can Foster More Private Sector Jobs from Colm Reilly, Lead on Local Delivery of FDI Services for UKTI. Regions should build on core competencies, inward investors make their final decision based on the people they meet on the ground and to be more attractive to investors in the future think education, education, education.