1. 3. Development which involves the permanent loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land will not be permitted unless it has been demonstrated that the benefits of the development would clearly outweigh the harm caused by loss of the agricultural land and that the development could not be practicably located elsewhere. Proposals involving extensive use of land should be capable of easy reversion to agricultural use.

Explanation

  1. Local planning authorities must take into account the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. This is particularly important in plan making when decisions are made on which land should be allocated for development. The council recognises the benefits to food security that the industry brings and seeks to be flexible to the modern needs of the industry whilst addressing environmental impacts of the associated development. Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, local planning authorities should seek to use areas of poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality. The Agricultural Land Classification provides a method for assessing the quality of farmland to enable informed choices to be made about its future use within the planning system.
  2. Natural England provides further information on Agricultural Land Classification. The Agricultural Land Classification system classifies land into 5 grades, with Grade 3 subdivided into sub-grades 3a and 3b. Best and most versatile land is defined as Grades 1, 2 and 3a. It is the land which is most flexible, productive and efficient in response to inputs and which can best deliver food and non-food crops for future generations. Natural England has a statutory role in advising local planning authorities about land quality issues. Where the loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land is proposed, a detailed agricultural land quality assessment should be done, incorporating on-site investigation in line with Natural England’s ‘Guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land’48.
  3. As part of the government's 'Safeguarding our Soils' strategy, Defra has published a Code of practice for the sustainable use of soils on construction sites49. The England Peat Status Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Storage dataset includes areas of deep peat, together with existing borehole data from the British Geological Society and the British Geological Survey maps portal. These may be helpful in development design and setting planning conditions.
  4. Maintaining and enhancing biodiversity helps to ensure that soils are healthy and fertile. This in turn means that agricultural protection is maintained, and harvests are reliable. Soil health is also important for protection of ecologically valuable habitats such as woodlands and species-rich grasslands. Healthy soils have

48 See www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-land-assess-proposals-for-development/guide-to-assessing-development-proposals-on-agricultural-land

49 See www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-sustainable-use-of-soils-on-construction sites