ABSTRACT
In general terms, the operation of planning controls in rural areas has consistently been one of restricting development. To gain planning permission, the question of need has frequently to be satisfied, particularly where policies apply to proposed development in the open countryside. This policy of restriction can be traced back to the Scott Report (1942, Cmd 6378), which was based upon a desire to retain as much land as possible in agricultural production. Over the years, it has been tacitly assumed by planning officers and elected members that any land which is not allocated for development will continue to be used productively for farming or forestry purposes, and this would ensure that the effective management of land would continue. The declaration of green belts is an obvious example of this approach to the planning and assumed future agricultural use of urban fringe land. However, in the 1990s, the issue of over-production, coupled with the EU Common Agricultural Policy, has resulted in changes in the agriculture industry which must now be taken into account in the planning of rural areas. It is essential to accept that most rural areas in Britain form part of the agriculture industry and, as such, change is inevitable. Current policies for the countryside are set out in PPG 7, ‘The Countryside and the Rural Economy’, which states in para 1.10:
The accepted need to safeguard and enhance the quality of the rural environment has resulted in the Countryside Act 1968 and subsequent designations designed to achieve this objective.
