Soil, does the planning system really take notice of the impacts on it?

Planning and soil sealing


Land, particularly that close to existing infrastructure, continues to be under pressure from development (see Chapter 4) and, based on evidence from the 1970s and early 1980s, much of this is on high quality agricultural land at a time when, locally and globally, food production and food security is under increasing threat. There appears to be inadequate weight given by planning authorities to protecting prime agricultural land and protecting the soil resource in general across non-prime agricultural land.


Measures to mitigate the impact of soil sealing could be introduced, including: examining the footprint of proposed developments; maintaining the functionality of soils on parts of development sites that need not be sealed; and ending practices that treat soil as waste.


The planning system needs to include safeguards on land use and maintaining soil quality, in particular carbon stocks, with appropriate guidance in National Planning Policy Guidelines and Planning Advice Notes. There is also a need for planning officers to be trained on this issue, as most will not have any previous experience of considering soils in detail.


Policy recommendation eight: review and, if necessary, develop further Guidelines and Advice to protect valued soils or specific soil functions during development.


Extract from 'The State Of Scotland's Soil' 2011


Well, I have quoted from an earlier incarnation of this report (or one very like it) in consultations and it is my view that not a lot of notice was taken of it.