The Rural Development Commission is warning that Government proposals to introduce a Rural Business Use Class in England could result in greater restrictions on rural business development.
The commission is the Government’s agency for economic and social development in rural England. Its director of strategy, Margaret Clark, said that the proposed Rural Business Use Class could make it more difficult for rural businesses to secure planning permission to start trading or to expand.
In a consultation paper published on 31 July, the DoE argues that development should not have a detrimental effect on the “amenity” of a rural area through increasing traffic.
In response, the commission has predicted that this would be a difficult principle for local planning authorities to apply and enforce consistently in practice. “We would not wish the new use class to backfire and have an adverse effect rather than the positive benefits intended,” she said.
EGi News 09/08/96
