Lobbying by the CLA has led to major improvements of PPS4 (Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth), unveiled recently by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
The CLA fought hard over several years to get its views represented in PPS4, a planning statement which was first recommended by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee member Kate Barker's Review of the Planning System almost four years ago.
CLA successes in PPS4, which was published by DCLG on 29 December 2009, include:
The encouragement of the conversion and re-use of existing buildings, including historic buildings, in the countryside for economic development purposes,
Planning policy that at long last recognises that economic development takes place in rural areas, just as it does in urban areas,
A definition of economic development that includes development that generates wealth or an economic output, and provides job opportunities in rural areas,
Supporting small-scale sustainable economic development, including in remoter rural areas, and recognising that more remote locations may not be readily accessible by public transport,
The Statement making it clear that PPS4 should be taken into account in regional spatial strategies and in the forthcoming integrated regional strategies (including planning policy and economic development), and by local planning authorities in their preparation of local development frameworks, and
It being accepted that PPS4 is a "material consideration" which must be taken into account in decisions on planning applications for economic development proposals.
Details of PPS4's specific planning policies for rural areas are contained in Notes to Editors.
CLA President William Worsley said: "This is a great result for the CLA. We lobbied for several years on this new policy statement. The CLA's hard work has borne fruit.
"Overall, we are pleased with the impact our lobbying has had on the Statement."
