Failed planning applications are costing farmers thousands

Outdated planning regulations are costing farmers and landowners thousands of pounds in failed applications and stymieing business development in rural areas.

According to new research by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), almost three-quarters of the 619 business owners surveyed said they had been forced to abandon plans to invest due to difficulties in securing planning permission.

See also: Clarkson applies for temporary car park at Diddly Squat Farm

And this failure had come at considerable cost, with more than one-third having spent more than £20,000 before having to abandon projects thanks to planning system delays.

In 20% of cases, this cost was put at more than £50,000.

The vast majority (93%) also agreed that outdated and under-resourced planning rules were hampering economic growth in rural communities.

The CLA said the survey findings support the anecdotal evidence revealed in the new series of Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime TV.

This highlighted how the local planning committee in west Oxfordshire had thwarted attempts by celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson to diversify his business with a farm restaurant and a car park.

‘Neglect’

“We can’t continue treating the countryside as a museum, like it’s something to be looked at, not touched,” said CLA president Mark Tufnell.

“It’s a home to communities and businesses that need to grow after decades of economic neglect.

“The government has been asleep while this outdated planning system has been stunting growth and wrecking livelihoods, and the severe cost it’s inflicting on farmers needs to be the wake-up call.”

The CLA pointed to the experience of Will Mathias, who runs a plant nursery based near Farnham, Surrey.

“We’re looking to bring another 40 acres of arable land into nursery stock production and need a nursery manager’s dwelling on site,” said Mr Mathias.

“We received positive feedback from planning officers at both the pre-application and outline application stages, but it was rejected by councillors who didn’t want to see new development and did not understand the nature of our business.”

Mr Mathias said he had appealed, but that could take 18 months and cost another £15,000-£20,000.