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Soils Task Force Report sets out to ensure construction doesn’t ‘cost the earth’

By October 19, 2022October 13th, 2023No Comments

In 2021 Charles Campion, author of 20/20 Visions and partner at JTP, joined the newly established Soil in Construction and Planning Task Force based at Lancaster University. The Task Force has recently produced a new report which seeks to drive better management of soils through the planning and construction stages of development projects and to protect and improve our vital soil resources, enabling soils in the built environment to function and provide crucial ecosystem services that support thriving places to live and work.

“Soils provide a multitude of important functions for society including playing a key role in tackling both the climate and biodiversity emergencies. Yet, soil is routinely undervalued, damaged and disposed of during planning and construction.”

Professor Jess Davies, Lancaster University

The report was launched virtually in October 2022 and the London launch will take place on Wednesday 30 November 2022 at JTP Studios, Pennington Street Warehouse, Wapping. For more information and to book your place at the London launch please click here.

“We need to move away from the view that soil on a construction site simply becomes unwanted muck to be removed so building work can commence. This report lays bare what a fragile, fundamental and valuable asset the soil is and how we can deliver realistic change to practices that deliver real benefits.”

Noel Farrer, Vice President of the Landscape Institute.

Background

Soils provide a multitude of important functions for society including playing a key role in tackling both the climate and biodiversity emergencies. Yet, soil is routinely undervalued, damaged and disposed of during planning and construction.  Whilst only a small fraction of land is built upon, the scale of damage done to this non-renewable resource and living ecosystem is vast. Almost thirty million tonnes of soil is sent to landfill in the UK every year – ten times greater than estimates of what is lost from landscapes via soil erosion.

The Task Force, based at Lancaster University in the Lancaster Environment Centre, is made up of academic researchers and partners from Lancaster City Council, Cornwall Council, Farrer Huxley and JTP.

Join the free in-person London launch event on Wednesday 30 November 2022, hosted at JTP Studios, Wapping, where you will have an opportunity to:

  • hear about the principles from the report and discuss these with the authors;
  • learn more about why soils matter for sustainable development; and
  • meet others with an interest in sustainable planning and construction.

Speakers include:

  • Prof. John Quinton, Lancaster University;
  • Noel Farrer, Landscape Institute Vice President and Director, of Farrer Huxley

A south-west region breakfast launch is also planned for Monday 5 December 2022 at Sandy Park in Exeter. More details will follow soon.

For more information about the Soils Task Force and to see the October online launch video please visit the Task Force website here.