ABSTRACT
Decisions are made in a policy environment that presents conflicting ambitions for rural development. The national position is that rural development is acceptable when it recognises the character and beauty of the countryside, and when sustainability is not dependent on location. Planning decisions are taken by different people depending on the circumstances of the application. A simple application for a residential extension – a householder application – can be determined by a planning officer under delegated powers. Planning committees are, by their nature, political, and responsive to the views and voting intentions of their electorate. There are many social, political and economic factors at play in the delivery of new homes and other new rural buildings, but at the heart of the issue for decision-takers is a lack of confidence in the quality of new development, and the entrenched ideal of the rural idyll.
