WILL PLANNING REFORMS HELP RURAL COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE?

Proposed reforms to the planning system - currently under consultation - which could make it easier for farmers to secure approval for new agricultural buildings, have been described as the ‘most fundamental rewrite of planning policy in more than a decade’.

Unlike many recent government initiatives, this one has received a wide welcome in the rural community.  The reforms make it clear that there should be a default presumption of support by local planning authorities for agricultural developments in rural areas, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Supporters of the move say it will reduce red tape, speed up applications, and boost investment in modern facilities – including those aimed at improving animal welfare standards.

Currently small agricultural business owners frequently find such proposals resisted by councils, something which has too often acted as a brake on both individual farm business investment and wider rural development.  Simple applications such as a livestock shed should really not take five months to secure consent.

This isn’t the first time that a reduction in planning red tape has been promised, and in the past such proposals have often subsequently failed to be implemented.  The whole planning system is bloated with paperwork not to mention many differing policies such as Nutrient Neutrality and Biodiversity Net Gain.  

Consent then comes and more paperwork is required with Habitat Management Monitoring Plans and Unilateral Agreements, all of which result in added cost for applicants and ultimately delay in getting projects underway.

The government says that these reforms are intended to refine, rather than retreat from, such commitments, easing cost pressures on smaller agricultural projects without undermining its overall nature recovery goals.  It remains to be seen if that is how it will all work out in practice.

Rural planning doesn’t exist in a vacuum: it interacts with policy on land use, conservation and farm incomes.  At the same time, farmers are dealing with market pressures, shifting environmental regulation, and the broader issue on how best to balance food production and the environment.

If the government is serious about implementing these reforms they could yet reduce bureaucracy and give agriculture the breathing space it needs to grow business and develop.  It is essential that planning policy properly reflects farming’s vital role in food security, environmental stewardship, and the prosperity of the wider rural economy.

The consultation runs until 26^th March, giving everybody just a month to make their feelings known.  If we want these eminently sensible proposals to be enacted, we all need to participate in the consultation exercise to make sure that government understands how vital these planning reforms really are.