Our Man in Holyrood: 'Planning changes could help secure rural futures'
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Back to work at Holyrood after Christmas we debated the future of planning policy in Scotland, writes MSP Fergus Ewing.
In my speech I referred to the reference in the new plan for needed improvements to road safety on the A9 and the A96 which are welcome. But, I pointed out: “There is one word conspicuous by its absence – dualling.” So I asked the minister, Tom Arthur, to confirm that this omission did not detract or in any way dilute Scottish Government commitments to the dualling of the A9 from Perth to Inverness and for the A96 from Inverness to Nairn including the bypass.
He did provide that commitment and in unequivocal terms.
I raised that the new planning document rightly recognises the importance of many industries to rural Scotland – including tourism, forestry, aquaculture – even life sciences gets a mention. But there appeared to be one glaring omission: farming.
Related: Our Man in Holyrood: 'We haven’t delivered on our A9 dualling promise'
It had pretty much nothing to say about farming, crofting or land management. Surely we value the work done by our farmers, crofters and land managers, and also we should say that we value their work.
I also argued that farmers, who have most of their asset value tied up in the land they own or rent, should be able more easily to diversify, and to realise the potential of that dormant capital.
Across Scotland that total dormant capital must amount to a tidy sum. I suspect around tens of billions of pounds. Though most of their assets are tied up in the land, that can and should be put to maximum use through raising loan capital or other business mechanisms.
Permitted development rights for say five houses per farm would be a tremendous way to help solve the rural housing shortage. Landed estates too can and do develop land and that should be further enabled and encouraged by planning as well. By contrast, crofting grants have helped over 1000 families get a home on croft land in Scotland since 2007. So it can be done without despoiling the countryside.
If farms and estates can provide more housing, and more renewables, more agri-tourism and more diversification generally, it is all to the good. Furthermore, it would not involve much taxpayers’ cash.
I’ll meet the minster soon to see if he can take forward this work and help our farmers make the most of the land in Scotland. This will serve the common good as well as helping our farmers secure their own future in these most uncertain of times.
– Fergus Ewing is the SNP MSP for the Inverness and Nairn constituency.
