The Landscape Institute highlights the unique contribution that can be made by the landscape professions to the economic growth of the UK while maintaining the Government’s targets on climate change.
The Landscape Institute welcomes the government’s development of an industrial strategy to drive economic growth throughout the UK. It’s vital that this growth improves people’s quality of life and addresses the climate and biodiversity crisis. The landscape profession is ideally placed to contribute to that growth while delivering the government’s ambitious objectives to increase housing and infrastructure, reverse declines in nature, tackle climate change and support communities.
The landscape sector is a vital, growing part of the economy, worth around £24.6 billion in Gross Value Added terms, and employing 333,900 people in 49,300 businesses in 2022. The UK landscape sector is world-leading and is expanding almost twice as fast as the wider economy average (18% compared to 10% between 2010 and 2022). To maximise our ability to contribute, we call on the government to facilitate a long-term programme of skills support at all stages, from school leavers to professional levels. This would encourage recruitment, retention, and career fulfilment in a UK industry that has significant development potential. Together with policies that particularly support landscape SMEs, the sector can boost its competitive capabilities, enabling it to deliver innovative, sustainable, and world-class urban and rural initiatives.
Carolin Göhler FLI, President of the Landscape Institute, said:
“The launch of the Industrial Strategy Green Paper is a very welcome first step in growing our economy and delivering for our local communities. Landscape professionals have the skills and experience to create sustainable solutions that can help revitalise our towns and cities with low-carbon developments and nature-based solutions that bring significant health and well-being, social and environmental benefits. We look forward to working with the government to achieve these aims.”