Villages under threat

WEST Sussex's rural villages are at risk of dying unless radical action is taken to secure their future, according to a 'Rural Challenge' blueprint published on Monday, which questions the Government's view for the future.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Aug 2010, 12:14 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:09 BST

Unless something is done, the county could become 'part dormitory, part theme park and part retirement home', according to Lord Taylor, chairman of the newly-formed Rural Coalition, which has drawn up the report.

The coalition consists of a group of countryside and planning groups including the Local Government Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, and says this is a 'do-or-die moment' for villages.

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It outlines five key challenges for the countryside - meeting rural housing need, building thriving economies, delivering good rural services, creating flourishing market towns and empowering local communities.

It says Government plans to require 80-90 per cent of local people to approve new building schemes in villages would create conflict and bring projects to a halt.

The coalition says elected parish councils should instead be able to initiate community-led developments but the Government wants new developments to have overwhelming public support.

The Government's plans would enable villagers to form local housing trusts and build homes without seeking council planning permission, subject to the referendum results.

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But the coalition calls for elected parish councils to be allowed to initiate small community-led developments within a localised planning system to meet local needs.

The coalition wants local councils to be freed up to suggest innovative solutions to help address the need for new housing for young families and low-income households in rural areas.

Read the full story in the West Sussex Gazette.

Related topics:Government