Natural England's Board has been warned that soils enjoy little statutory protection and failure to protect them from intensified land use and soil sealing mean they will lose carbon and exacerbate run-off and flooding, water shortages, diffuse pollution and loss of food production.
The Board was considering a report proposing a policy on soil including greater consideration of soils' importance in regulating greenhouse gases, more sustainable land management including urban design, and protection of soils important for food protection and ecosystem services.
It considered the report last month, but it is presently resisting revealing its decisions.
The report identifies a lack of reference to soil in spatial planning documents and mentions the South East Plan in this context.
"Loss of soil through development or other changes in land use is rarely recognised and the quality of soil resources is often overlooked in the creation of successful greenspace or in habitat recreation projects," it says.
It also notes that soil sealing, a target of the proposed soil framework directive stalled by the UK and other EU member states, can increase surface run-off, ponding and local erosion, flooding and pollution.
"Soil sealing as a result of built development and construction activity has a major impact on soil reducing its capacity to fulfil many important functions," says the report.
"Depending upon its location, development, or other irreversible change in land use, will also reduce the nation's finite stock of high quality agricultural land."
It notes that around 5,860ha a year were changing from undeveloped, primarily high quality agricultural land, was changing to developed in the 2001-3 period and such land needs to be protected to meet demand for food and biofuels and longer term climate risks including sea level rise.
60% of Grade 1 agricultural land lies below 5m AOD.
