'Changes needed to Neighbourhood Planning Bill to help rural economy thrive and grow'

Further reform of the planning and compulsory purchase systems are 'essential to ensure a viable future for the rural economy'
Further reform of the planning and compulsory purchase systems are 'essential to ensure a viable future for the rural economy'

Changes are needed to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill to help the rural economy thrive and grow, the CLA has said.

Further reform of the planning and compulsory purchase systems are 'essential to ensure a viable future for the rural economy'.

The Neighbourhood Planning Bill prepares for its Second Reading (10 October).

The CLA said the Bill contained 'welcome measures' on both planning and compulsory purchase.

'The Bill has the potential to impose unnecessary costs on those looking to diversify their rural business'

"But without changes the Bill has the potential to impose unnecessary costs on those looking to diversify their rural business and to further weight the balance of compulsory purchase in favour of those acquiring land," CLA President Ross Murray said.

"The Bill is a welcome opportunity to reform both the planning and compulsory purchase systems to ensure that farmers and landowners have the best opportunity to help the rural economy thrive and grow.

"However, without changes the Bill will add unnecessary costs to planning applications and fail to address the imbalance of compulsory purchase in favour of acquiring authorities.

"We want to see changes which make it easier to deliver important development in rural areas and ensure those losing land temporarily for infrastructure projects have the same rights to payment as those losing land permanently."

Pre-commencement conditions

The CLA wants to the ensure the government makes it possible to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate only in relation to pre-commencement conditions.

These are planning conditions which prevent any development with planning permission from taking place until detailed aspects of the development have been approved and the condition has been fulfilled by the applicant.

Currently, if a farmer or landowner disagrees with a pre-commencement condition imposed by the local authority the appeal can lead to the entire application being re-examined.

The rural organisation wants to force acquiring authorities to be clear at the outset that they only acquire the minimum amount of land required land to deliver a project and whether this land is required temporarily or permanently.

Farmers and landowners are seeking compensation if the land they lose via compulsory purchase is then used for a different purpose at a later date.