The following blogs give back ground and a bit more details about this section of the Utopian Manifesto.
​
9. The Common Planet
​
Land Priority
The priority for land within the Utopian Manifest will be:
-
To be used in the best way possible based on its situation and quality
-
To be used to provide food
-
To be used to provide homes
-
To be used for the protection of the planet
-
To be accessible for all
-
To be used for commercial purposes
​
In this order.
​
How will this be achieved? The first thing is that we need a new Doomsday book. We need to know who owns ever square inch of land and its quality in terms of farming and environmental protection.
​
New Doomsday Book
To deliver the New Doomsday Book the following Government departments will be merged into one.
​
Environment Agency, Land Registry, Ordinance Survey and Valuation Office
This new department will be responsible for keeping a full and detailed, free electronic public record of who owns land.
​
Specifically, it will be responsibly for:
-
Mapping all land.
-
Registering who owns each part, legal owners and beneficial owners.
-
Valuing each parcel of land.
-
Valuing the property on the land, separate to the value of the land.
-
Establishing the current and potential future environmental value of the land, including buildings and surfaces of buildings.
-
Classifying land in terms of its ability to deliver food security for the UK.
-
Classifying land that is better suited to house building.
​
All of these tasks are currently within each departments skill set, but it will bring the evaluation of land and environment together into one department. The department will remain in the public sector and will not be privatised. Although it will be able to pursue commercial activities as these departments do now, e.g. selling maps.
​
If the legal and beneficial owner cannot be established within 6 months from the start of the exercise, the land ownership will pass to the Crown.
​
Land Ownership and Value
The New Doomsday Book (NDB) will establish the land value and the current legal owner. However, we already know that the Crown is the real owner of all land in the UK.
​
From the publication of the NDB any increase in the value of the land from that recorded will pass to the Crown in the form of a 100% Land Value Tax (LVT).
​
What does this mean in practical terms for a person who owns a small detached house and garden? Lets say an Estate Agent would currently value the property at £500,000. the NDB may say that the land is £400,000 and the house £100,000. If the owner wanted to sell their property at this point, they would receive £500,000. So no land owner has last any value as a result of the NDB or the LVT.
​
If after 10 years, the new owner wants to sell, the land and property is valued again. Lets assume the value of the £ is unchanged. If the new owner has done nothing to the house, its value remains at £100,000 assuming it remains in an okay condition. The value of the land is £410,000. The new owner pays £510,000 and £10,000 is taken for the 100% LVT. The new owner has lost nothing either as a result of the LVT or NDB. If on the otherhand the new owner build an extension where the cost of materials and the builders labour cost them £50,000, the value of the property may now be put at £190,000. In this case the sale price is £600,000, £10,000 still goes for the 100% LVT, the owner receives £190,000, essentially making a profit on their purchase because they added value to their property.
​
In otherwords, property owners can make a profit from what they do to add value to their property, but they can never gain from the value increase of their land, instead, the state in the form of the Crown receives that value increase, but importantly, no one loses from the value of their property when the NDB is produced, there is no confiscation of ownership of private land.
​
Crown Estates
As we know today, all land in the UK belongs to the Crown. This is because it was taken by the Crown from conquest and confiscation. This history needs to be reconciled for a modern world and one way of doing that is by ensuring that the land today delivers for the commoners as the common land once did.
​
To this end the Duchy of Cornwall and Lancaster and the Royal Household Property Division and merge into the Crown Estates which would be required to deliver on social, community and environmental targets whilst also making a profit within a circular economy.
​
They would no longer be allowed to operate outside the jurisdiction of UK law or accountability to commoners. The use of Tax Havens and other avoidance techniques would not be not allowed. Profits would be used to fund the Monarchy, but paying taxes on a normal basis would also mean that these estates would also fund hospitals, schools and other commoners.
Any building or land can be passed to the Historic Royal Palaces charity where it will be managed and opened to the public, National Trust style with its upkeep being taken from Crown Estate income.
King Charles already has a reputation for long term estate management and this approach will be the de facto method followed, which will be refined by the Crown on a totally transparent basis with knowledge passed to other UK land owners.
​
Food Security and Land Use
This part of the Manifesto is not about farming, that can be found here. However, we hear from the National Farmers Union (NFU) that they are very keen to maintain food security for the UK. This is a laudable goal and will be supported. Food security does not mean giving large land owners taxpayers money for solar paneled fields. It does not mean large scale intensive animal farming.
​
Food security means:
-
Ensuring all farming delivers regenerative soil use to sustain future harvests.
-
Using land for its best agricultural purpose.
-
Growing 100% of a crop in the UK to meet UK demands if it is economically and environmentally sensible to do so.
-
Growing less an 100% of a crop in the UK in other cases where that crop grows easily in the UK.
-
Growing a crop in the UK even if the economic case does not make sense to keep the knowledge and skills in the UK.
-
Maintaining herds of animals in the UK to keep the knowledge and skills in the UK.
​
What this may mean is that if the NDB classified land that is currently used as a golf course, or as beautiful sweeping ground for a manor house, but happens to be on the best agricultural land for crops, its clearly not aligned with the food security principle that the NFU want. There will be two choices, the owner can compensate Crown Estates for the economic loss of removing food security, or they can use their land for the production of food.
​
Some land will not be great for food production, but the other factor being assessed in the NDB is environmental use. This may result in changes to land. If for example large swathes of land has been used historically for the rearing of sheep, so it open fields, but would be better used if it was more wooded and rewilded, and in doing this it would capture more carbon, reduce flooding for towns and villages in the area, then its use would need to change. Again, a sheep farmer could compensate Crown Estates to not be forced to make this change, or they make the change.
​
By knowing the best use of land from the NDB in terms of food security and environmental impact, the UK can use every square inch in its best use. Cow, sheep and chicken farming will remain. Its essential that the country retains the skills and knowledge for rearing these animals for food, but most will only be allowed on a non-intensive basis. Intensive farming will only be allowed as a niche and heavily regulated activity, mainly for scientific and research purposes.
​
Questions would arise over large estates and grounds, land set aside for hunting, golf courses, large sheep farms. Owners will not be forced to change, but they will be required to pay compensation to Crown Estates should they decide not to use land for its best use.
​
Homes and Property
The NDB will identify the areas in the country where house building can take place. As the NDB has a focus on the environment and puts a priority on that, this will naturally protect land that people currently call the Green Belt. Land that we currently see as Brown Belt will continue to be prioritised for house building i.e. land that has little to no value for food production, and land that could only make a minor impact on the environment if rewilded.
​
House building will continue to be around existing cities. These will be prioritised.
​
Any home empty for more than 2 years without having a valid exemption will revert to Crown Estates.
​
Second home ownership will not be allowed.
​
Ownership of residential property or empty land by companies and offshore companies, or non-resident individuals will not be allowed.
​
As landlords will no longer gain financially from the increase in the value of land, but only from the improvement of the property, it is expected that rental property would fall.
​
Local Authorities will be given greater powers to use compulsory purchase as NDB use value, and planning laws will be changed to ensure that provision of homes and the environment are given priority.
​
Right to roam
A right to roam will be granted immediately in England and Wales to match Scottish Law as a minimum. This will also be granted to all inland waterways for swimming and kayaking without any licensing system.
Guidance and public education will be given on staying away from private homes and gardens, crops and certain other areas such as military land. Littering, dog control will be given a high priority in public awareness.
​
Church Land
Any land owned by the church or religious groups must be shown to be in use helping the poorest 5% of the UK population. Otherwise it will revert to Crown Estates.
​
Ministry of Defense Land
Any unused and contaminated land must be cleaned and allowed to re-wild. Public access would be set to a date when it is considered safe.
​
Any unused MOD land that is considered Brown Belt should be used to provide high quality housing for current and ex-service people and their immediate families.
​
School Playing Fields
These cannot be sold.
​
Forestry Commission, National Parks, SSIs, Wildlife Charities
These organisations will be given a remit to restore woodland, rewild land and promote public access.
​
Monied Lobbying
Anyone descended from someone gifted land by William the Conqueror or who has more than a set number of acres will not be allowed to lobby, or be involved in the passing of laws relating to land.
​
Land Inheritance
Primogeniture would be outlawed. Gavelkind inheritance would be allowed without any male bias.