Country Land and Business Association

It’s a long time since Living Working Countryside was published now by the visionary Matthew Taylor. I think its time we dug it out and got on with its recommendations which still speak the heart of the debate featured in this article which tells us:

Rural campaigners have argued that the current ‘outdated’ planning system is holding the UK back and say the government should let them help ease the housing crisis

The government’s annual target is to build 300,000 new homes, but fewer than 200,000 homes were built in 2017-18. As the UK’s population is expected to rise by a further 2 million people by 2030, rural campaigners want to help supply the demand for more housing in the UK.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has argued that local authorities have had their planning budgets cut by 55% since 2010, leaving planning departments in crisis.

President of the Country Land and Business Association, Mark Bridgeman, said: “For years politicians have complained about the housing crisis while ignoring the fact that the answer is right under their noses.

“If just ten homes were built in every village the housing crisis in rural communities would be eased considerably. Landowners are wanting to help but are being put off by endless bureaucracy, spiralling costs and a lack of planning officers.

“With such drastic cuts to planning departments we are left with too few planning officers, and those who are in post are stretched to the limit, which can cause significant delays.

“Rather than representing a barrier to growth, the planning system should enable and enhance the delivery of developments in rural communities. The government must decide what it wants the planning system to deliver and then provide adequate resources to achieve those aims.

“A simpler and better-resourced planning system would restore confidence in decisions and encourage more applications to come forward, unlocking the potential of the rural economy.”