We’ve welcomed new government planning guidance on farm reservoirs, which should help farmers manage water resources more effectively.
The government has responded to the long-awaited Rural Planning Review by proposing new guidance to support rural development. We’ve welcomed the promise of new guidance on farm shops, polytunnels and farm reservoirs which will enable businesses to continue to grow.
NFU planning expert Suzanne Clear said: “I am pleased to see that new guidance will allow on-farm reservoirs to be positively considered, especially that it takes into account the need for more water storage.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government and Defra issued a call for evidence on various elements of rural planning in early 2016, and the NFU submitted a detailed submission identifying various ways in which the current system constrains operational farming.
Earlier this month the government said future planning guidance will make it clear that “on-farm reservoir development should be considered in the context of the increased drive for more water storage and that the disposal of excavated waste was an acceptable by-product”.
You can read the government’s response to its review of rural planning here.