Allister welcomes proposed amendment to planning legislation for Agricultural Buildings
01 July 2005
Jim Allister MEP has welcomed proposed changes to planning permitted development rights for agricultural buildings and believes that if the changes proposed in the consultation are implemented, fewer farmers will need planning permission before they construct additional storage in order to adhere to the Nitrates Directive.
Jim Allister commented, “Currently farmers have to apply for planning permission if they want to construct an agricultural building with a ground area exceeding 300m2. Not only will this cause further delays for the planning service, it will also result in increased costs and bureaucracy for the farming community. The proposed changes in this consultation would mean that farmers could construct buildings with a greater ground area than 300m2 and still not require planning permission. I welcome this announcement from Government and will be lobbying for all agricultural buildings with a ground area of less than 600m2 to be exempt from planning permission. I will also be supporting a delay in any changes to permitted development rights.
Mr Allister believes that this announcement is a result of lobbying from the DUP on the issue. “I have raised this issue with both the previous DARD and DOE Ministers. We had further discussions with Lord Rooker on this and other issues related to the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme last week. It is important that the Government make quick decisions regarding this consultation and other matters related to both the Farm Nutrient Management Scheme and Nitrates Directive so that farmers can start to plan whether or not they are going to construct additional slurry storage in order to adhere to the Nitrates Directive.”
