Based on a survey of their members, the new BALI report, titled “Lay of the Land,” provides an analysis of market trends, challenges, and future prospects within the sector.
The environmental horticulture and landscaping industry contributes £38 billion to UK GDP and supports approximately 722,000 jobs (Oxford Economics) and landscaping services alone contributed £17.9 billion GDP in 2023. BALI and the Environmental Horticulture Group suggests that the landscape industry could be worth £51.2bn by 2030, if recognised and supported by government.
According to the report, despite the UK’s economic challenges, the landscaping sectors have a positive outlook for the coming year, with 60% respondents prioritising business expansion in the next 12 months. Though, 29% have said that recruitment is a challenge, and 55% confirming that staffing costs are “challenging or very challenging”. Just under half of the respondents (45%) stated to be “confident” or “very confident” about their ability to maintain or expand their business over the next 12 months. Only 15% said they were “not confident at all” or “reasonably unconfident”.
With 47% of respondents indicating their intention to explore opportunities in the fields of Biodiversity and Net Zero within the next 12 months, there is a growing interest in landscaping to support nature-based solutions and addressing environmental concerns.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring this report out to government and industry on the importance of the landscaping sector. Landscaping is an exciting industry with plenty of opportunities for growth, as evidenced by the 60 percent of respondents saying that business expansion is a priority for their business. However, government must work with industry to address some areas of concern including employment and climate change which will impact BALI member businesses in the future,” explained Amu Cobbett, BALI Head of Policy and Public Affairs.
Additional insights from the report will be released at FutureScape, at Excel London from October 7th to 8th. The event brings together professionals from across the landscaping sector.
Cobbett added, “This report is crucial in highlighting concerns and opportunities for the sector, which is a key step in future-proofing the industry and continuing the innovation which can deliver across a range of government priorities, including skills and training, economic resilience, environmental enhancement, and social growth.”
