RPA to undertake a scoping study on international approaches to Japanese knotweed in the context of property sales

RPA, Dr Daniel Jones from Advanced Invasives and Russell Hewitson, an Associate Professor at Northumbria Law School, have been commissioned by Defra to undertake a scoping study on international approaches to Japanese knotweed in the context of property sales.

The Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee held a one-off oral evidence session in early 2019 to explore the science behind the effects of Japanese knotweed on the built environment.  The report produced following the session included several recommendations, one of which was this desk-based research study.

The evidence session highlighted the disparity between approaches and attitudes toward Japanese knotweed in the UK compared to other countries; this may be leading to the UK taking an overly cautious approach.  Research and learning from the approaches taken to Japanese knotweed and other destructive plants in other countries will enable future approaches to be built upon a sound evidence base.  This research will ensure that the impacts of Japanese knotweed are proportionate to the physical effects of the plant in the built environment.