NPPF threatens 55% of England's countryside, says campaign group

Protection for the countryside should be reflected "as a whole" in the National Planning Policy Framework to prevent unnecessary urban sprawl, the CPRE said. Without national support, any protection local plans give to the wider countryside is likely to be challenged by developers.

The draft national planning policy framework (NPPF) is the Government's proposed overarching planning policy. It includes a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which states that where a local plan in absent, silent, indeterminate or out of date, the presumption should be in favour of the development being granted planning permission.

The Government has argued that effective protections can be given to the countryside through the use of a local plan, which is a document produced by local authorities that maps out where certain development can take place. Neighbourhoods can also protect green space through the use of a neigbourhood plan, the Government said.

The CPRE report claimed that despite these proposed methods of protection existing, they have not yet been tested. The campaign group said that the status of the protections are not clear, which could lead to an increased risk of development and urban sprawl.

"It would be risky to rely solely on any local protection for the wider countryside, the status of which is extremely uncertain," said Fiona Howie of the CPRE. "Without national support, any protection local plans give to the wider countryside is likely to be challenged by developers."

Changes should be made to the NPPF before it is implemented to avoid unnecessary damage to the countryside as the planning reforms are implemented on the ground, the CPRE said.  

The east Midlands and east of England are the two areas most at risk from unwanted development on the countryside, according to the CPRE. East Midlands has 73% of its area undesignated, whilst the east of England has 66% of its countryside undesignated.

"We are pleased that the Government’s planning reforms will retain protections for specially designated countryside. But Ministers have provided no reassurance that the final NPPF will recognise the value of the wider, undesignated countryside that makes up more than half of England’s rural landscape," said Howie.

The Coalition Government produced the draft NPPF as part of reforms to the planning system. It ran a consultation on the draft which closed in October and received over 10,000 responses The NPPF will be finalised and published by April 2012, the Government has said, although the transition provisions are still being worked up.