Non-developed land use across the Greater West of England

16 Mar 2026

This data insight describes how non-developed land is distributed across the Greater West of England, measured in hectares (ha).

The Greater West of England is a bespoke geography comprising Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

The data are drawn from Land Use in England 2022, published by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC), based on a snapshot of land use in April 2022 derived from Ordnance Survey MasterMap Topography data. Land is classified into 28 land use categories, which are aggregated here into 8 non-developed land groups for clarity and comparability. The statistics are area based (hectares; ha) and provide consistent, nationally comparable coverage across local authorities, combined authorities and parliamentary constituencies.

231,210ha

Wiltshire has the largest agricultural land area in the Greater West of England

38,336ha

Gloucestershire accounts for the largest area of forestry and woodland

6.28%

Share of England’s undeveloped urban land in the Greater West of England

0.14%

The smallest share of undeveloped land in the Greater West of England is natural land

Greater West of England non-developed land by type (hectares), 2022

This visualisation shows that non-developed land within the Greater West of England area is concentrated in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, which account for most of the land area across almost every category.

In agriculture, Wiltshire 231,210ha and Gloucestershire 185,357ha exceed figures in more urban authorities such as Bristol (662ha). A similar pattern is seen in forestry and woodland with Wiltshire (35,678ha) and Gloucestershire (38,336ha) dominating the category, compared to smaller areas in Bristol (495ha) and Swindon (1,455ha).

Wiltshire and Gloucestershire consistently record higher hectare values than other Greater West of England areas, even in categories with small totals such as water and undeveloped urban land.

Non-developed land by type, Greater West of England as a % of England, 2022

This visualisation shows the Greater West of England’s share of England’s land area by non-developed land type, highlighting how the region contributes differently across categories.

The Greater West of England accounts for 5.73% of England’s total land area and 5.75% of its non-developed land. Its highest shares are in undeveloped urban land (6.28%), forestry and woodland (6.24%), and agriculture (6.19%), all above its overall land share.

Water (4.24%) and outdoor recreation (4.50%) fall below the regional average, suggesting a comparatively smaller share of these land types nationally. Natural land stands out as significantly lower at 0.14%, the smallest proportional contribution among all categories.

Non-developed land by type, Greater West of England, geographical comparisons, 2022

This visualisation shows the percentage composition of non-developed land by type in the Greater West of England compared with England and England excluding London.

Agriculture dominates all geographies except Bristol. It accounts for 69.3% of land in England, 74.6% in the Greater West of England, 76.5% in South Gloucestershire and 11.1% in Bristol. Forestry and woodland are more prominent in Gloucestershire (15.6%) and North Somerset (12.8%) than in England (11.7%), while Bristol and Swindon have lower shares at 8.3% and 7.75% respectively.

Urban characteristics are most visible in Bristol, where residential gardens and outdoor recreation figures (43.5% and 23.6% respectively) exceed the Greater West of England averages (5.0% and 1.8% respectively). Natural land makes up a small proportion in all areas, particularly in the Greater West of England (0.13%), compared to England (5.4%).

Non-developed land by type, Greater West of England constituencies, 2022

This visualisation shows the percentage composition of non-developed land by type across Greater West of England constituencies in 2022, highlighting strong contrasts between predominantly rural and urban city areas.

Agriculture dominates in predominantly rural constituencies such as Thornbury and Yate (82.8%), Tewkesbury (78.3%) and Chippenham (76.4%), compared to much lower shares in Bristol East (7.9%), Bristol South (11.8%), Bristol North West (14.1%) and Gloucester (18.4%). Forestry and woodland are particularly high in the Forest of Dean (25.6%), above other constituencies including Gloucester (6.6%) and Bath (12.7%).

More urban constituencies show higher shares of residential gardens (49.9% in Bristol South) and outdoor recreation land (29.2% in Filton and Bradley Stoke).