The president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Ivor Ferguson, has hit out at changes made to planning policy in NI which he believes will make it virtually impossible for farm businesses to obtain planning permission for new sheds.According to Ferguson, the updated policy coming from Shared Environmental Services, the body which advises NI councils on environmental issues related to planning, effectively means that if the business is within 7.5km of a designated site, planning will be denied.
The president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), Ivor Ferguson, has hit out at changes made to planning policy in NI which he believes will make it virtually impossible for farm businesses to obtain planning permission for new sheds.
According to Ferguson, the updated policy coming from Shared Environmental Services, the body which advises NI councils on environmental issues related to planning, effectively means that if the business is within 7.5km of a designated site, planning will be denied.
Driving that policy are ammonia emissions in NI, and the advice from the likes of the NI Environmental Agency is that emissions at many of NI’s protected habitats have already exceeded critical loads.
However, Ferguson believes that a more balanced approach must be taken that allows businesses to develop, while also delivering ammonia reductions.
“The roll-out of this means that the vast majority of farmers across NI will be unable to develop their business if the new rules remain in place. I would advise all councils to take these concerns seriously. The impact of these policy changes will be devastating to our rural economy,” said Ferguson.
At present in NI farmers are allowed under permitted development to erect or alter buildings as long as they are under 500 metres squared in size.
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