Landownership Who owns Britain and why it matters. A look at landownership and its consequences .

We live in an age of unprecedented information technology. Yet access to information on who owns the land is scarcer than it has ever been. Landownership matters, it is a major factor in determining the economic, social, political and ecological structures that human beings depend on.
Why is there a scarcity of freely available information on landownership? Who owns Britain? Who pays the massive subsidies which benefit the largest landowners- why isnt there a subsidy for those who go without access to land and cant then utilize its benefits? Why is there the depth of prevention to low impact sustainable development of land by current legislative planning guidelines and the governing system? Isnt this earth kind development what is needed to help overcome some of the biggest problems in our age- resource depletion and ecological suicide? TOP TEN FACTS Between 30-50% of the land in Britain is still unregistered. Only 10% of Britain is covered (urban) 90% of people live in an urban area. 74% of the population, own no property at all. Less than 1% of the population own 70% of the land. 41,000 estates own 50% of Britain- approximately 0.1% of the population. Multi million pound subsidies are paid by the EU to the largest landowners. The Duke of Westminster (3rd richest in UK) received 7 million Euros in subsidies since 1999. Corporations such as Nestle and Tate & Lyle are also massively subsidised by the taxpayer. The planning system in Britain means that even if you own agricultural land you cannot live on it unless you run as a commercially competitive business.

DID YOU KNOW Each dwelling in the UK pays an average of 1000 per year in council tax, while the largest landowners receive a subsidy based on the size of the land that they own? SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM There are many ways to solve this problem including: Learning about the landownership situation in Britain. Helping to spread awareness and campaigning on issues relating to the land. Taking part in peaceful civil disobedience to highlight the issue of land. This could include setting up a camp on disused land somewhere visible. Writing to landowners and asking for their co-operation to make land available for common usage. FURTHER READING Who Owns Britain by Kevin Cahill. Low Impact Development: Planning and People in a Sustainable Countryside by Simon Fairlie

The Earth Care Manual: A Permaculture Handbook For Britain & Other Temperate Climates. Patrick Whitefield.
Recommended websites: http://www.who-owns-britain.com/ http://www.thelandmagazine.org.uk/ www.farmsubsidy.org Recommended films: The Power of Community: how Cuba survived Peak Oil Fields of Gold: Lifting the veil on Europes Farm Subsidies The Crisis of Civilisation by Dean Puckett. DISCLAIMER [This info has been produced to the best of our research capability at the time of printing. All research has been sent to a number of independent researchers and experts in the field for feedback before printing. However, this is a document in development and we welcome all contributions. If you have information you think we should include, please email: diggers360@yahoo.co.uk so that we can consider it for inclusion in subsequent print runs]