The importance of food production and the rural economy must be fully recognised in the new National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF), the NFU said today.
The Coalition Government intends to revoke all existing national planning policy statements and guidance and replace it with one simple short document.
Last December the Minister in charge of decentralisation, Greg Clarke, invited organisations and individuals to offer their suggestions to the department on what priorities and policies should be adopted to produce a shorter, more decentralised and less bureaucratic national planning policy framework.
NFU planning policy adviser Ivan Moss has been involved in a number of roundtable meetings to discuss with civil servants drafting the NPPF what should be included.
"There is a benefit in consolidating government planning guidance into one document. The government has made it clear it wants a very short document which just sets out the government’s key priorities," said Mr Moss.
"The key challenge for farming is to ensure the importance of food production and the rural economy is fully recognised in the document and that it is not a policy with solely an urban focus. It will be essential that it is a positive document that local authorities must take into account in preparing their development plans and determining planning applications."
The NFU has submitted a paper setting out the key priorities which include:
• The definition of sustainable development must not be solely in ’urban’ terms but must recognise the needs of rural areas
• The planning system must be a vehicle for economic recovery. This includes the rural economy where planning should be about managing change not its prevention.
• There should be a presumption in favour of development that promotes food production and renewable energy.
