Sandra Tuck MRTPI is a CPD Trainer for the Agro-ecological small farming eLearning
I have always been passionate about the environment, and particularly biodiversity. I started out studying for a Biological Sciences degree at Birmingham University in the 1980s and spent the next 20 years working in third sector organisations such as the RSPB Bird and Wildlife Conservation, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, WWT Slimbridge, the Waterway Trust and Avon Wildlife Trust. This experience really triggered my interest in strategic planning and what this could do for nature conservation.
While my heart has always been with the environment and nature recovery strategies, I have also been interested in the impacts of farming. How post war farming practices have negatively impacted biodiversity and are depleting our soils, some say to the point of no return. High profile cases recently in the news remind us again of the damage that more intensive farming can do to our ecosystems.
So, when I noticed the Ecological Land Cooperative (ELC) was looking for someone to help with planning, I wanted to get involved. I prepared for my new role reading the “Low Impact Development – Planning and People in a Sustainable Countryside” by Simon Farleigh. This is a great book and everything in it recognizable and current, but it shocked me discovering it was written in 1996.
Farm stewards at the ELC have to meet high standards of environmental stewardship, so in addition to growing fruits, vegetables, fruit trees, woodland products and flowers etc. They also have to look after the land, the soil and biodiversity in the land. Having now met some of the ELC farm stewards I am blown away by their commitment, passion, skills, hard work and sheer determination to do something really important, really remarkable and really hard!
Unfortunately, farm stewards attempting to set up new horticultural and small farm businesses using ecological sensitive farming practices that require them to live on the land face enormous barriers, particularly planning barriers.
This was a new area of planning for me too. After reading up on current policy, the outcomes for planning applications, appeals and meeting with farm stewards who are often forced to live in caravans (sometimes for many years), I found that we already know what the barriers are. We could help turning this situation into positive social, economic and environmental outcomes across England.
A typical caravan used by farm stewards
The Ecological Land Cooperative teamed up with RTPI National Training Team to develop new CPD material to support planners develop their knowledge about agro-ecological small farming. We used ELC’s case studies and ELC’s recent research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Trust. This training content will give planners the confidence to make informed decisions about these type of planning applications.
This flexible, online training ‘Agro-Ecological Small Farming Applications’ will be available for RTPI Members in England for free via our learning platform, but registration is required via this form.
Please also look for complementary activities in our training and event calendar relating to rural planning.
