New Assembly should make Rural Planning a Priority
UUP Mid-Ulster MLA Billy Armstrong said one of the first things a newly devolved assembly could do would be to find the right balance in rural housing rules throughout Northern Ireland to make homes more affordable for rural young couples and first-time buyers.
Mr Armstrong said moves on rural planning, unlike other policy areas, would not have any dramatic cost implications.
In a statement Billy said,
“A new Assembly should focus on increasing the efficiency and transparency of the planning system – delivering speedy and consistent planning decisions
We need a balanced rural planning policy: One that protects the countryside from random development while allowing for sustainable development of rural communities. We also need a planning policy statement providing, where required, for 25% of new builds to be affordable housing
The hard fact is that while we are governed by Direct Rule from Westminster, the Northern Ireland Office Ministers will be slow to order any relaxations in the specific PPS14 housing restrictions.
The major advantage of having a fully devolved legislative parliament at Stormont is that it can implement relaxations in the housing restrictions to allow our young rural constituents to get onto the housing market ladder.
It seems that many of the ‘new generation farmers’, who are part-time, are being classified as ‘hobby farmers’ and are therefore finding it extremely difficult to expand their farming businesses or to erect a dwelling house on their holding due to tight restrictions placed upon them. Government’s criteria for need is too high for these ‘new generation farmers’ and the Northern Ireland Assembly must look to set these at realistic levels as soon as possible otherwise the countryside will be deserted.
We need to find the right balance between environmental concerns that protect our rural fabric while enabling people who live in rural areas to prosper and have a decent standard of living.”