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11/05/2006
SDLP stage protest over rural development ban
Members of the SDLP have staged a protest today at the Balmoral Show to campaign against the ban on rural development proposed in pending countryside planning policy.
The government revealed in March that they were to impose a ban on most forms of residential development in the rural areas.
A spokesperson for the SDLP today said that the move was placing the rural way of life under threat by putting an end to the tradition of farmers giving building plots to their families.
The Department of Regional Development has said that sufficient amounts of land have already been designated for building purposes in all parts of Northern Ireland to deal with housing demands over the next ten years.
It is understood that only housing for farming families or for retiring farmers will be allowed.
Some houses will be allowed for key employees for certain types of industries and there will be a special allowance for social need to help young or low-income families stay in rural areas.
The government move has angered many farmers who considered the selling of land for development as a key source of income in difficult periods.
The policy will not become law until later this year, when a period of public consultation has taken place.
(EF/SP)
The government revealed in March that they were to impose a ban on most forms of residential development in the rural areas.
A spokesperson for the SDLP today said that the move was placing the rural way of life under threat by putting an end to the tradition of farmers giving building plots to their families.
The Department of Regional Development has said that sufficient amounts of land have already been designated for building purposes in all parts of Northern Ireland to deal with housing demands over the next ten years.
It is understood that only housing for farming families or for retiring farmers will be allowed.
Some houses will be allowed for key employees for certain types of industries and there will be a special allowance for social need to help young or low-income families stay in rural areas.
The government move has angered many farmers who considered the selling of land for development as a key source of income in difficult periods.
The policy will not become law until later this year, when a period of public consultation has taken place.
(EF/SP)
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