Building the rural future

lanning remains a core focus for

PCLA lobbying and policy work and will continue to be in 2022, with announcements expected on the response to the UK government’s planning white paper and the planning bill.

In 2021, the CLA worked tirelessly to support members with their planning issues, having dealt with nearly 700 cases.

Planning white paper

The CLA broadly welcomed reforms outlined in the planning white paper, especially relating to a simpler and more accessible planning system in England. We also agreed with the recommendation that planning decisions should be made against policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) instead of local plan policies. We also liked the concept of building aesthetics and biodiversity enhancement within the NPPF.

However, the CLA is concerned about the suggestion that open countryside should be included in ‘protected’ areas, as rural business investment and diversifi cation may be sti ed. We will continue to raise this issue as a main threat to the rural economy.

CLA Head of Planning Fenella Collins explains more about changes to planning policy across England and Wales and the developments that impact on members

Rural Powerhouse and PDRs

Following on from the publication of A planning system designed for the rural economy in England, the CLA published Rural Powerhouse: a planning system designed for the rural economy in Wales in 2021. It sets out recommendations on what is required for a exible, responsive planning system to achieve an economically diverse rural economy.

The document has been used to lobby the Welsh government for appropriate changes to the planning system concerning new builds, aff ordable housing and for permitted development rights (PDRs) to be extended to Wales for the conversion of farm buildings to other uses, e.g. commercial or residential. Changes to PDRs have benefi ted members throughout 2021, and the CLA lobbied successfully to extend these in England to fulfi l the demand created bystaycations. We also lobbied for similar changes in Wales and were successful, with a further 28-day extension to include temporary changes of land usage from November 2021 until 3 January 2022. In England, temporary uses were extended until the end of 2021.

Nutrient neutrality

Nutrient neutrality concerns the leaching of phosphorous and nitrogen in protected rivers, coastal areas, wetland and coastal habitats. It arose as an issue after the European Court of Justice ruled against putting an undue nutrient burden on protected rivers and estuaries.

For members, this directive resulted in a planning application backlog in 2021, as planning authorities placed a moratorium on all applications in England and Wales until a toolkit had been published by the government on how the issue could be dealt with.

Throughout the year, the CLA raised the issue with various government ministers and departments, as the moratorium aff ected many rural businesses and housing development.

Looking ahead

2022 promises to be another busy year, including further planning reforms, a planning bill and consultations on a new NPPF and biodiversity net gain.

The CLA will continue to lobby on all planning issues that aff ect our members in England and Wales, and will use case studies in our lobbying work that highlight how issues aff ect therural economy.

Building the rural future