CLA backs call to fine councils for obstructing development

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The CLA in the North is supporting a group of MPs calling for local councils to be fined if they obstruct local development by failing to deliver a Local Plan.

As part of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which was introduced in April 2012 to boost economic development, every local authority was told to have in place a Local Plan, setting out how to best meet the development needs of the local area, within three years.

Now, as the three year deadline approaches, a select committee of MPs has found that some 41 per cent of councils, many of which are rural planning authorities, still do not have an up to date Local Plan.

They are calling for a consultation on a legal time limit by which a council would have to have a plan in place or face a financial penalty.

CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said: “More than two and a half years on from the NPPF, slow rates of implementation are hampering development across the rural economy. Inconsistent implementation is contributing to a crisis of underinvestment in infrastructure, business and housing across the rural North.

“Local Plans are vital to attracting investment, especially in rural communities. Drastic action is needed to make sure councils are prioritising their Local Plans, which is why we back the committee’s call for new legislation. We also believe this should be backed up by some form of financial penalty.”

The CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and other rural businesses, played an integral role in helping the Government to develop the NPPF and in ensuring it provided a framework for promoting sustainable development in rural communities.