High Court ruling on PPS14 - FoE responds

In response to today's High Court ruling on PPS14 John Woods, Northern Ireland Director of Friends of the Earth said,

"As this debate continues it is important that the agenda is not set just by rural landowners and property developers. The countryside is central to our social, cultural and environmental heritage and we all have a stake in it whether we are from urban or rural backgrounds.

"There are approximately 27,000 rural landowners out of a total of some 680,000 households in Northern Ireland. While it is important that the voice of rural people is heard, the purpose of the planning system is to put the common good before the perceived indivdual right of landowners to develop their land.

"In a world that faces the extraordinary challenge of tackling climate change it would be grossly irresponsible to allow the wholesale suburbanisation of the countryside and the associated dependence on the private car while denying rural towns and villages the chance to achieve the critical mass needed for essential services such as schools, libraries, healthcare and public transport.

"The Government now needs to find a legal means of ensuring PPS14 remains in force pending its own review of the policy."