BY MICHAEL BRESLIN
Last week, Enniskillen hosted a meeting of the Confederation of European Councillors, in the Killyhevlin Hotel where the delegates, who came from North and South, were welcomed by Fermanagh Councillor, Bernice Swift in her role as chairman of her Council's Planning Committee.
She congratulated the conference organisers for choosing Fermanagh as the venue and she noted that the seminar which focused on developments in planning systems, North and South.
She suggested that this agenda was very timely given that the Minister, Arlene Foster's recent announcement of emerging findings from the review of PPS14, and details of functions relating to planning which were being devolved to the new District Councils from 2011.
Ms Swift commented: "As Chair of Fermanagh District Council Planning Committee, where we almost always have complete unanimity on planning issues, I can assure you that taking into account the implementation of PPS14 since mid March 2006 and the content of PPS4 where it relates to the location of industry, business and distribution in rural areas, Fermanagh District Council would be giving Planning Service a very low score against their stated aim.
"On their website you will find that their aim is, 'to plan and manage development in ways which will contribute to a quality environment and seek to meet the economic and social aspirations of present and future generations'.
"I agree that the countryside needs to be managed. It needs, like the city, to grow and adapt through time. You cannot emasculate change, however. Change must still be managed but PPS14 is a crude, one size fits all policy".
What was needed, she told the conference, was a more sophisticated and subtle policy, one that supported the life of the countryside as a living entity. But, planning strategy, she suggested, had become disengaged from the life of the countryside.
"It threatens to suffocate the flexibility the countryside needs in order to adapt to constantly fluctuating land demands and local population needs. Worse, for those working in the countryside on low incomes, this ill-considered policy has sent land with planning permission, and all existing rural houses, soaring in value and simply out of reach.
Councillor Swift said she and her fellow Councillors believed that Northern Ireland was a diverse region with differing pressures, threats and needs, hence, planning regulations must respond by identifying their difference and applying policies accordingly.
"It is good that there is now an opportunity to fundamentally review PPS14. There is now the opportunity to put in place an innovative and forward thinking rural policy".
Ms Swift then pondered on the roles required of the countryside in the future development and sustainability of rural Northern Ireland, on four key fronts - Agricultural, Social Economics,
Environmental Sustainability, and the Visual Environment
As regards the agricultural economy, still Fermanagh's biggest employer, she said it had gone through a most difficult time.
"Without a strong agricultural economy the landscape will not be managed and will not be beautiful. We need to support and understand the contribution of small business to our economy. We need to support social economy of the existing local communities who supply labour to that agricultural economy.
"Bussing in workers from the city was never an option", she stated. "Countryside communities evolve needs independent of the services they provide, shops, butchers, churches, halls, schools. These in turn create demands on the land. These demands must be met or the community will stagnate and then decline".
She suggested that environmental sustainability was another key consideration, with the need to provide energy from renewable resources such as wind farms, 'yet these are hardly beautiful additions in everyone's eyes to the landscape'. The need for renewable resources must be balanced with the need to sustain natural habitat for wildlife.
Finally, the visual environment, she suggested, was essential to all and to the development of Fermanagh's tourist industry.
Moving on to PPS4 (Industry, Business & Distribution), Councillor Swift detected a demand to locate in urban settings, business parks etc. but, as for DARD's encouragement of farm diversification, it as flawed in that if one became too successful and required more accommodation, the move to an urban setting was suggested.
"In short, a new policy needs to re-articulate and communicate our countryside aspirations. It has to work and support a growing vibrant community who want to stay in the countryside".
