On this page:

Action 36

Action 36

"The Executive will consult on removing the special protection afforded to prime quality agricultural land."

Progress

A consultation paper Removing the Special Protection of Prime Quality Agricultural Land from Development was published on 26 September 2001. A total of 91 responses were received.

No planning applications for development on prime agricultural land had been notified to Scottish Ministers in the previous 5 years. Ministers decided that there was no real purpose in retaining the requirement. The need for planning authorities to notify Scottish Ministers of such applications was therefore withdrawn on 9 October 2002.

As part of the Conclusions and Next Steps arising from the consultation, it was announced that diversification issues, including those relating to prime quality agricultural land, would be looked at as part of the research which was currently underway to evaluate the effectiveness of National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 15: Rural Development. The research report was published on 17 June 2003. Following public consultation, and with the assistance of stakeholders, NPPG 15 has been revised as a Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). The final SSP was published in February 2005. A Planning Advice Note (PAN) on rural diversification was issued at the same time.

Links

  • Scottish Executive Planning:-

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Planning-Building/Planning

Action 36 complete

Previous Action

Next Action

Page updated: Thursday, June 2, 2005