In response to the East Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy the Country Land & Business Association has criticised the absence of any requirements placed on local authorities making them create planning policies which will deliver a diversified and vibrant rural economy.
The East Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy is seeking to provide a broad development strategy for the entire East Midlands region up until 2026. The underlying core objective is to promote and develop a 'more sustainable pattern of development'.
Speaking today after the Examination In Public held at Devonshire Place, Leicester, CLA Rural Surveyor, Andrew Shirley said:
"Things have moved on and developed in the countryside. Agriculture is a highly technical and innovative industry, but due to reduced margins and fewer employees there needs to be the ability for the industry to continue to develop and invest so it can remain competitive within the European and world market.
"The Strategy appears to give credence to the view that if the environment improves then the economy will grow – this is only true in the most degraded areas – for the majority of the region it will be money from a thriving rural economy that will provide investment into the environment and sustain communities.
"There is too much emphasis on the role of public transport – again fine for urban areas - but unrealistic for the rural area. The RSS needs to "get real" and accept that in many rural areas public transport provision is poor and that these areas should not be deprived from development just for that reason.
Andrew concluded:
"We all have a roll in the future of our rural areas, which account for 80% of the region, whether it is where we work, live, recreate - or just a view from a car window
"The rural areas must be sustainable into the future and for that, in the long term, we need the economy now more then ever to deliver all the other things that we demand from our countryside."
