Reform of the planning system

Known to be a tricky system to navigate, planning is always a hot topic amongst Country Land and Business Association (CLA) members, farmers and landowners.

At recent MP and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) meetings, challenges of the planning system has been one of the key talking points alongside farm profitability, limiting the ability for farms to meet modern requirements, as well as stilting their diversification opportunities to be both viable and profitable.

The outcome of a recent CLA survey suggested that the UK planning system wasn’t fit for purpose, and with the general election planned for the 4th July, planning reform could sway 70% of the rural vote.

Nearly three quarters of the 350 rural business owners polled throughout England and Wales said they had been forced to abandon plans to invest because of planning problems. Of these, nearly half had wasted at least £10,000 on projects before giving up, with many reporting losses of more than £50,000. Read more on the CLA’s survey here.

At a recent meeting, it was said that applications for farm diversification weren’t like large residential developments. Farm diversification is crucial for several reasons and has the opportunity to support not only a farm business but also the local community, local economy and improve the environment. These types of applications keep local people working and living within the rural community ensuring money gets put back into the rural economy.

It is not practical to expect farms and rural estates to rely on income from agricultural practices alone in the future and planning decisions need to acknowledge and place an emphasis on enabling diversification. In order for them to do that, reform is needed to address both backlogs with the planning system but also skills gaps. The CLA survey also identified that 94% of respondents feel as though there is a lack of knowledge on rural issues and agricultural matters within the planning system, with 91% feeling as though improved knowledge in these areas would be beneficial to projects.

At the start of the year the Midlands team held Planning and Development Seminars (https://www.cla.org.uk/cla-midlands-news/grappling-with-the-planning-system/) around the region. These events gave the opportunity for land and business owners to learn more about the planning process on both a small and large scale, and ask questions specific to their needs.

These events included information on recent CLA lobbying wins which increased the Permitted Development rights to build larger agricultural sheds and widen the options to convert building to dwellings and commercial spaces.

Find out more about the CLA’s Rural Powerhouse campaign here.