How can farmers future-proof planning applications from unnecessary delays and legal challenges, what’s best practice for community engagement and how can renewables projects be delivered on farm?
With lots of apparently complicated issues to cover at this NFU15 workshop, the Department for Communities and Local Government’s chief planner, Steve Quartermain CBE, started with a pleasingly simple plea to ‘read the instructions’ – and, in fact, to help shape them.
He said: “If you want the planning system to work for you, you have to know how it works.
“If you read the National Planning Policy Framework you will know that all the Local Planning Authorities are producing plans. There are also neighbourhood plans right down to parish level and if you want policies that are friendly to farming, that talk for example about diversification, you need to engage with the plans as they are drawn up."
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“Planning is about making things happen and getting things done. If you read the national framework, there’s a line in it which says ‘if it’s in the local plan people should expect to get it approved’.”
Mr Quartermain said trends to watch would include the interpretation of changes to permitted development rules in 2014 which have potential to ease diversification projects, and the recent announcement of 11 Food Enterprise Zones, which could smooth the process by allowing local authorities to go further than permitted development “if they want to”.
His department was “looking at speeding up the interaction with things like Natural England and the Environment Agency so decisions are not only timely, but more consistent,” he said.
After considering a raft of case law where Judicial Review was involved, Alex Madden, a Partner at Thrings Solicitors, stressed the three classic grounds of irrationality, irregularity and procedural unfairness, and the six-week time limit to launch an action.
And he said: “Don’t underestimate the value of proof –reading the officer documents because the importance of seemingly small errors can be substantial.”
British Solar Renewables’ Angus Macdonald looked at one of the big diversification growth areas, or modern day orchards” in his terminology.
His key take-home message was of community involvement, in a planning climate somewhat less friendly to land-based arrays than even two years ago. He said: “If you’re going to build solar on your farm, hide it well and put it on a poorer quality area of your land.
“It’s not just about talking to the planning officer, you must start at community level and start early; go out and do regular presentations and listen to concerns before you put an application in.”
Open days, talks to local schools and the provision of grazing, boundary features, biodiversity management and wildlife and pollinator projects all had roles to play.
“If a planning authority hears that the community wants it, you’ve got a much better chance,” he added.
How do I watch live?
If you’ve got a computer and an internet connection, you can watch most of the sessions in the main hall by clicking on the player in this page.