State of the South West (WEB VERSION)

Land & Land Use

7.84 This section on land provides information and trends relating to agriculture, woodland, land use and the historic environment. Around three-quarters of the South West's land area is used for agriculture, which has and continues to shape the landscape that we all enjoy.  However, unsustainable use of land as well as changing management practices and economy can and has led to soil erosion, pollutants reaching water courses and harmful impacts on wildlife and habitats.

7.85 Trees, woodland and forests make a major contribution to the vitality, attractiveness and diversity of the region as well as to health, flood mitigation and the local economy.  As well as benefits to society and wildlife, trees make an important contribution to the global carbon budget and can contribute to climate change mitigation.

7.86 Reliable geo-referenced information on land use is required to provide a basis for the sustainable development of land resources.  It should also be used to inform policy at national, regional and local level. Experimental statistics for land use in the English regions has been produced for 2001 (ODPM, 2005). These statistics allocate all identifiable land features on Ordnance Survey Maps into nine simplified land categories.

7.87 Attractive buildings, settlements, historic landscapes, parks and gardens make an enormous contribution to the quality of the region.  This historic heritage makes a vital contribution to the quality of our environment.  It can consist of a wide range of both natural and man-made features, some of which we can see every day and which contribute to our local, regional and national quality of life and economy.

Agriculture and Soils

7.88 In 2005, 1.8 million hectares (ha) of land in the South West was used for agriculture, managed by 43,530 agricultural holdings. Compared to 1990, the area of land has changed very little but the number of holdings has increased by over 15%. This is similar to the changes observed at the national scale (Defra, 2006).

7.89 The nature of agricultural activity varies across the region. In part, this is due to variation in topography, soil quality and climate. Permanent grassland occupies 49% of the region and arable 26%, compared to 34% and 42% respectively for England as a whole (Defra, 2006). The importance of grassland in the region is reflected in the significance of lowland livestock farms which account for 23%, 5 percentage points higher than the English average. The South West has a greater proportion of small and very small farms (<20 ha) and fewer large farms (>100 ha) compared to England as a whole. There is probably a greater difference between agricultural land and holdings within the South West itself than between the region and England (Defra, 2006). 

7.90 Research has shown that organically managed land provides greater potential for biodiversity than their conventional counterparts, with up to 85% more types of plants, 17% more spiders, 5% more birds and 33% more bats (British Trust for Ornithology, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, 2005).  The South West has more organic and in-conversion land than any other region, with around 40% of all organic and in-conversion land in England as of January 2006. Between March 2003 and January 2006, organic and in-conversion land in the South West increased by almost 21%, from 96,059 to 115,980 hectares. This was higher than the 16% increase experienced in England as a whole. With almost 27% of the regional total, Devon had the highest percentage of organic land, closely followed by Wiltshire with over 22%. Wiltshire also had the highest proportion of the region's total agricultural land under organic management (Defra, 2006).

7.91 The region also has the highest number of registered organic producers, growers, processors and importers in England, with 1,532 or 34% of the English total. This was a 13% increase on March 2003, higher than 9% increase experience in England as a whole (Defra, 2006). 

7.92 The region’s high rainfall, steep slopes and vulnerable soils result in increasing problems with water pollution and run off. Surveys have been carried out by the National Soil Resource Institute on behalf of the Environment Agency in a number of South West river catchments between 2002 and 2005. Results found that between 25% and 57% of all sites surveyed had poor soil structure sufficient enough to cause enhanced runoff (National Soil Resource Institute, 2005). Poor soil structure leads to an inability of crops and soil to make best use of manure and fertilisers. Large areas of South West soils are easily sealed by heavy rain and by inappropriate land work, causing local flooding, mud on roads and damage to property. It can also lead to water pollution as sediment and pollutants enter rivers, affecting habitats, salmon spawning grounds and other aquatic wildlife.

7.93 More information about agriculture and soils is available from the South West Observatory Environment website.  Diffuse pollution, field boundaries, woodland and farmers markets are also indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.

Trees and Woodlands

7.94 There are 212,000 ha of woodland in the South West, covering 9% of the region’s land area (an area equivalent to over three times the area of Exmoor National Park), just over the English average of 8%. This area of woodland has almost doubled over the last 100 years and is still increasing. In the last 10 years over 10,000ha of new woodland has been planted in the region (Forestry Commission, 2005).

7.95 Ancient woodland and trees represent a living cultural heritage, a natural equivalent to our great churches and castles. They are also our richest wildlife habitat and are highly valued by people as places of tranquility and inspiration. The South West contains over 20% (around 73,000 ha) of England's ancient woodland resource and its protection and management is a high priority identified in the South West Regional Woodland and Forestry Framework. Four Ancient Woodland Priority Areas have been identified on Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds.  These priority areas identify core sites of ancient woodland networks in the region where landscape connectivity and permeability offers exceptional opportunities to link and extend ancient woodlands (Forestry Commission, 2006).

7.96 The Woods and Trees Under Threat website identifies 21 woodlands and individual trees of importance in the South West that have or are being threatened by development, out of a total of 362 in the UK at the time of printing.  Of these 21 sites, 9 have been saved, 4 lost and 8 are ongoing (Woodland Trust, 2006).

7.97 More information about trees and woodlands is available from the South West Observatory Environment website.  Woodland and field boundaries are also indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.

Land Use

7.98 The South West is the largest region in England, with over 18% (around 2.4 million hectares) of the national total land area (almost 13.2 million hectares).  In terms of landuse, over 91% (almost 2.2 million hectares) of this land was greenspace in 2001, the highest proportion of any region in England. Greenspace was highest in North Cornwall with 5.2% of the regional total and whilst the lowest was in Bournemouth, Isles of Scilly and Gloucester, all comprising 0.1% of the regional total (ODPM, 2005).

7.99 There were almost 70,500 hectares of gardens in the region in 2001, the 3rd highest behind South East (21%) and East (14%). South Gloucestershire had the highest proportion of gardens, with 4.1% of the regional total, whilst the lowest was found in the Isles of Scilly and Weymouth & Portland, both under 1% of the regional total. Water covered around 45,328 hectares of the region, the 3rd highest in England. The Forest of Dean had the largest area of water, accounting for 11% of the regional total.

7.100 The South West had the 2nd largest road network with 14% of the national total (behind the South East with 17%) and the 3rd largest path network with 11% of the national total. The proportion of total area covered by road was highest in North Cornwall (4% of the regional total) and lowest in the Isles of Scilly followed by Weymouth & Portland, both accounting for under 0.6%. The region had only 10% of the national rail network.  Bristol had the largest area covered by rail (almost 7% of the regional total) whilst East Dorset, Torridge and Christchurch all accounted for 0.02%.  Swindon had the largest area covered by pathway (over 7% of the regional total), whilst the Isles of Scilly, North Dorset and Christchurch all had under 1%.

7.101 Domestic and non-domestic buildings comprised around 1% of the region’s total land area, the 3rd highest total area in England. Bristol had the highest number of domestic and non-domestic buildings in the South West, accounting for 5% and 6% of the regional total respectively. The Isles of Scilly had the lowest area covered by buildings.

7.102 More information about land use is available from the South West Observatory Environment website.  The impact of climate change on our landscape, access to open space and local distinctiveness are also indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.

Historic Environment

7.103 The South West has a wealth of historic heritage and a large proportion of the nation’s historic resource can be found in the region.

7.104 The Register of Buildings at Risk lists all Grade I and II* listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments at risk or vulnerable to neglect and decay in England. Protected by national policy, the majority of listed buildings are in good condition. In 2006, there were 160 Grade I and II* listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments included on the South West Buildings At Risk Register. This gives an overall reduction of 3 on 2005, including 7 deletions from the list and 7 additions (English Heritage, 2006).

7.105 A building has a ‘conservation deficit’ when the cost of its repair and conversion exceeds its value after repair. In the South West, the total deficit has reduced from £35.5 million in 2004, £31 million in 2005 and £30 million in 2006. Of the region’s 163 buildings and monuments at risk, only 14 do not have a conservation deficit (English Heritage, 2006).

7.106 Parkland (areas of designed landscape, wood pasture and former estate land) provides much of the remaining wood-pasture, a South West Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitat.  However, between 1918 and 1995, parkland in the South West declined from an estimated 58,000 hectares to 32,000 hectares, accounting for 45% of the total resource.  This was the greatest loss recorded in any region.  Some areas in the South West have lost particularly high amounts of parkland, such as Dorset Heath (68% loss) and the Somerset Levels & Moors (55% loss). The Vale of Taunton and the Quantock Fringes have also seen more than 30% of parkland converted to arable land (English Heritage, 2005).

7.107 Maintaining the historic environment is dependent upon keeping alive traditional skills, such as thatching, lime plastering, dry stone walling and stone masonry. It has been estimated that there were 2,344 traditional building craftspeople in the South West in 2005, only 3.7% of the English total. Just over a half of all contractors have identified recruitment difficulties, the main reasons being a lack of applicants and a lack of skills (National Heritage Training Group, 2005).

7.108 More information about heritage is available from the South West Observatory Environment website.  The impact of climate change on our historic environment and our historic building resource are also indicators used to monitor progress of the Regional Environment Strategy.

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