LL had said that the Open Spaces as they were before (being abused) were not supportable and a drain on resources and a money-loser. Shrinking back to a manageable land mass which no longer stresses the system and is once again supportable AND is a source of income is a good thing for LL; they ARE a business so the bottom line is the money. Keep in mind that there's a glut of land both mainland and estate, so a slightly shrinking landmass might bring some value back to the land you/I/we own.