Surrey County Council has launched a new Land Management Framework, setting out best practice guidelines for managing its own land as well as striving to aspire other landowners and stakeholders to adopt and deliver similar approaches. The new framework aims to ensure Surrey’s countryside is managed in a way that maximises its ecological, educational, social and economic value for the benefit of generations to come.
Like other counties, Surrey’s natural environment is under unprecedented pressure from climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing demands on land use. The new framework provides principles and policies to guide evidence-based decisions, manage risks, and seize opportunities.
The county council owns and manages 10,000 acres of Surrey’s countryside and has a duty to manage its own land responsibly and sustainably. By implementing the new Land Management Framework, Surrey County Council will lead by example, inspiring other landowners and stakeholders to adopt sustainable land management practices.
Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment comments: “The council’s ambition is to act dynamically to ensure the future sustainability of our land-based assets, both financial and environmental, through embedding nature-based solutions, community action, and new technology into our land management and decision-making.
“The county’s countryside and water bodies offer numerous benefits, including recreation, wellbeing, livelihoods, food production, wildlife habitats, and community cohesion.
“Our land will be more resilient to economic and environmental shocks and climate change, support growing biodiversity, and have strong local community engagement and ownership.”
Surrey’s new Land Management Framework is timely as Government has recently launched a national conversation about land use, encouraging feedback to a consultation that will inform the development of a national Land Use Framework later this year.
Read more about Surrey’s framework by visiting our website: Land Management Framework – principles and policies – Surrey County Council.
