Countryside Alliance briefs MPs on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The Countryside Alliance has welcomed the Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s objectives to facilitate housebuilding and growth but is concerned that some of its proposals will negatively impact on rural communities, reduce local democratic accountability and not ensure that rural communities benefit from development to the same extent as urban ones.

You can read the Alliance's position in the following briefing note, which has also been summarised below. 

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In rolling out the EV charging network and upgrading the grid infrastructure, rural areas should not come second to urban ones. 

To minimise the impact of upgraded grid infrastructure there should be a presumption of putting infrastructure underground rather than covering the countryside with more pylons. 

The government’s target to increase housebuilding targets from 300,000 homes per year to 370,000, with a goal of delivering 1.5 million homes over the next five years is welcome. The Alliance acknowledges the need to address the national housing shortage, and we recognise that the countryside must play a role in delivering this. 

While we fully support the drive towards clean energy, we advocate a rooftop-first policy for solar energy installations. Solar panels should be installed on rooftops of new builds, commercial structures and car parks before considering the use of farmland or greenfield sites. 

Watering down or bypassing the role of councillors on planning committees would see councillors able to debate only proposals defined as “large” developments by the government, which could disproportionately impact smaller rural communities. 

Excluding “hope value” from the price paid for assets compulsorily purchased is grossly unfair. Where land has permission for development, it has a higher market value. This should be recognised in a fair compulsory purchase price. 

This Bill continues to fail adequately to account for rural needs and we hope that once passed, it will be implemented in a proportionate way sensitive to rural communities and their needs.