Soils and Development

Soil is a non-renewable natural resource which performs many roles, including supporting Scotland's wonderful biodiversity and rural land uses such as farming and forestry.  

Once built on, soil loses its ability to fulfil any other roles in the environment. It's important, therefore, for planners and developers to think about soil as a resource which supports lots of ecosystem services.

We encourage planners and developers to consider the full range of impacts that might result from the loss of soil on:

• flooding
• water quality and flow
• farming and forestry
• carbon sequestration and storage

In recent years, policy makers have recognised the importance of soil as a carbon sink and potential emitter of greenhouse gases. SNH information note 318    provides a reproducible method for categorising the carbon richness of soil mapping units produced by the Soil Survey of Scotland. The new Scottish Soil Framework  provides a general framework to promote the sustainable, management and protection of soil consistent with the economic, social and environmental needs of Scotland.  

Good practice

The Scottish Enviroment Protection Agency   provides a lot of information on regulations that apply to soil and good practice guidance.

Strategic Environmental Assessment guidance    has been produced by the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum For Environmental Research (SNIFFER) to provide support on how to take soil into account in strategic plans and programmes.

We have produced an Environmental Impact Assessment Handbook which provides guidance to planners and others involved in this process.  This guidance provides more help on assessing the impacts of various activities on soils.

Other resources

The Macaulay Institute   provides information on soil maps.

The Scottish Government has published a report on a new approach to calculating the carbon savings from wind farms on Scottish peat lands   

British Standards has recently updated its standard on the use and requirements for topsoil (BS3882:2007 - Specification for topsoil and requirements for use  )

The Highways Agency and the Construction Industry Research & Information Association have produced a best practice guide on habitat translocation   which includes useful information on soil handling.