Rural Productivity Plan outlined by the government

Starter Homes will be delivered as part of the plan.

The government has today set out its first Rural Productivity Plan to help areas in the countryside flourish.

Set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and the Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss, the Rural Productivity Plan is timely given how popular moving to rural areas is becoming.

The ten-part plan aims to increase the number of Starter Homes built, simplify planning laws for communities and businesses, improve transport links, move towards devolution, increase wages and invest in education.

Responsible for 16% of England’s total output, rural areas are vital to the economy and the Chancellor believes the new measures will mean in future, there won’t be as much of a reliance on city-based businesses.

He said: “For too long, the British economy has been reliant on businesses based in our cities and towns. We want to create a One Nation economy that taps into the potential of all parts of our country.

“That means setting the right conditions for rural communities and businesses to thrive, investing in education and skills, improving rural infrastructure, and allowing rural villages to thrive and grow.”

Within the ten-part plan, the government wants to make it easier to live and work in rural areas.

Therefore, there are plans to include more housing to make it easier for villages to establish neighbourhood plans and allocate land for new homes, including the use of rural exception sites to deliver Starter Homes.

This will give local areas a chance to allocate more Starter Homes sites for those living in the area, or for people with existing connections to the area.

Subject to local agreement, the government is keen to make sure that any English village can expand in an incremental way.

Within the plan to make it easier to live and work rurally, there will be an increased availability of affordable childcare.

Strong conditions for rural business growth will be created in the form of Enterprise Zones in these areas. Bidding for the current round ends next month with preferences given to proposals involving smaller towns, districts and rural areas.

The government will also provide better regulation and improved planning for rural businesses by reviewing planning constraints. Measures to tackle these issues will be outlined next year.

There will also be a fast-track planning certificate process for establishing the principle of development for minor development proposals.

Faster broadband and high quality mobile communications are also high on the agenda and as part of the government’s plan to populate rural areas with a highly skilled workforce, there will be access to high quality education and training by way of fairer funding for schools.

Local areas will also get the opportunity to participate in the re-shaping and commissioning of local post-16 skills provision.

Apprenticeships will be increased as part of the drive to bring a highly skilled workforce, while transport connections through the £38Bn rail investment programme and £15Bn Road Investment Strategy will be created.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said the plans will result in “thriving towns and villages.”

She said: “Our rural areas could be generating billions more for the UK and providing many thousands of new jobs – this plan will make that a reality, unleashing the full potential of our countryside to create a true One Nation economy.

“We’re connecting the countryside to make it just as simple to run a business from Cornwall as it is in Camden. But it’s not just about transport and technology.

“Our plan will help us create thriving towns and villages where generations of families can open and expand their businesses, buy a home and educate their children at first class schools.”

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