Trapped by sustainability
We can probably all think of villages where a few more houses might make a positive difference to the quality of community life.
There are village schools with falling roles: a handful of family houses could make sure that the school is sustainable into the future. Building a few small bungalows might mean that the elderly could stay in the village. An executive house or two might sustain the pub’s food trade catering for those cash rich time poor inhabitants who are too busy to cook. An affordable house or two could make such a difference to young residents still living with their parents, sleeping on a friend’s settee or exiled to the town. But in small villages time and again the planning system blocks such development. According to the planners, the villages are not sustainable.
This problem has been highlighted in the report of Matthew Taylor MP to the Government, called Living Working Countryside. In this he identifies what he refers to as ‘the sustainability trap’. The received wisdom is that new development has to go in villages which are sustainable. This means that they have to
Coming in from the country
Peter Sharp, Rural Officer for the North West Synod of the United Reformed Church has written a new resource: Coming in from the Country. It is an A5 booklet of ten new worship songs, set to well known tunes. Peter is keen for the songs to be used widely and you can download it directly from the ARC website at:
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/ publications_and_resources/ rural_worship_resources/ search/
datafile.asp ?ID=204&DocType=pdf
villages weren’t very keen on it and in some places villages were rescued.
So, what is the answer? Matthew Taylor’s report says that, ‘since we are not going to bulldoze our villages and start again, and people are going to continue to live in them, the key emphasis of the planning system (at all levels) needs to move away from asking ‘is this settlement sustainable?’, to ‘will this development enhance or decrease the sustainability of this community – balancing social, economic and environmental concerns’’.
have a shop, pub, bus service etc.
Those that tick all the right boxes are the ones that can have new building. Those that don’t tick the boxes don’t get the development. But this model of planning has been tried, tested and found not to work. Back in the 1970s a key settlement approach to planning was used. In the 1950s Durham County Council had ‘Category D’ villages where people were encouraged to move away and the villages were left to decline or bulldozed. Not surprisingly the
If this balanced approach is taken there would be a very much more flexible approach to planning and development which could enhance the quality of life for villages.
The report ought to be compulsory reading for all those involved in the planning system and provides useful information for those who are looking for sustainable community development. You can find it at
www.communities.gov.uk/ publications/planningandbuil ding/livingworking countryside
Robert Barlow
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www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
rural ministry roundup
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