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Government urged out to hand more power to rural communities
Tue 17 Aug 2010
The government has been urged to hand more power to communities in rural areas as part of its Big Society plan.
Lord Taylor of the Liberal Democrats has suggested that rural communities be given greater planning powers to aid the construction of affordable homes and ensure people are not priced out of these areas.
The peer also stated that devolving power in this way would enable public services in the countryside to keep running throughout the current spending cuts.
Lord Taylor has been supported by groups including the Town and Country Planning Association and the Local Government Association.
The two bodies have joined a Rural Coalition, along with the Country Land & Business Association, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Town & Country Planning Association.
Lord Taylor also warned that plans to allow building applications to be blocked if ten per cent of village residents are against the proposals will be counterproductive.
He told the Independent that giving more power to elected parish councils would be preferable to having local referendums on housing schemes in rural communities.
Sara Hanrahan, planning partner at Winckworth Sherwood LLP, said: "The current proposals for devolving more power to urban communities certainly fit neatly with the ethos of the Big Society and should provide a lifeline for rural communities able to provide range of facilities.
"However the enthusiasm to push forward this agenda must be balanced against the very real need for affordable housing and other vital infrastructure works to be delivered.
"An application veto on a figure as low as ten per cent is a concern.
"We are working with interested parties keen to promote a local housing trust, based upon the community land trust model, to provide not only affordable housing but also a village shop, community hall and doctors' surgery.
"Such an initiative will enable these facilities to be owned by local people in perpetuity."
