Planning: the big issue in rural Cheshire

Whether it be debate about proposed eco towns, affordable housing, renewable energy, or specific problems about planning permission, the CLA's planning experts are in great demand in Cheshire.

In fact, planning issues are so high on the agenda amongst CLA's Cheshire Members that Fenella Collins, CLA's Senior Planning Adviser, made the trip from the organisation's London HQ to last week's Cheshire Committee meeting at Reaseheath College. At the meeting Ms Collins was able to address Members' concerns and brief them on the CLA's national lobbying successes, as well as providing the background to some of the many proposed changes to the planning system.

Ms Collins, who is a familiar face in the corridors of Westminster, is a passionate campaigner for a planning system that recognises the needs of those who work and live in rural areas. She said: "Planning, in all its guises, can be a huge problem for some of our Members, and can often prove a barrier to business growth in rural areas. The CLA has invested so heavily in our planning resource, nationally and in the regions, and I have to say, that investment is paying off, with a number of notable victories recently. However we must keep the pressure on, as I find I am up against a Government that wants to push things through quickly, and it is often the rural voice that is ignored in the rush.

David Kinsey, CLA's Cheshire Chairman is also Chair of the CLA's North West Regional Committee and comes across such issues daily. Recognising this, Mr Kinsey set up a Cheshire planning sub-group to address the issues head on. He said: "It is not simply large landowners that come up against planning barriers, it affects every Member we have. Luckily, the CLA has vast experience at all levels, stretching back 100 years and Fenella's visit to Cheshire proved absolutely invaluable. It clearly demonstrated the work that goes on behind the scenes. Cheshire should consider itself lucky that we have someone of Fenella's calibre representing our interests at the very top."