Environment Minister Alex Attwood today announced the easing of planning rules for farmers.

The new rights, known as permitted development rights, will come in to operation in August 2013. They will increase the range of agricultural development that no longer needs planning permission.

Farmers will now be able to undertake new build or extend agricultural buildings including sheds for hay and straw, storage and maintenance of agricultural machinery and plant, milking parlours, slurry storage tanks and chicken and other livestock sheds without having to go through the planning application process.

This means farmers can construct buildings up to 500 square metres without the need for a planning application (the equivalent of over 5,000 square feet). Currently they can only erect up to 300 square metres without the need for a planning application.

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Mr Attwood said: "These new rights, the most generous on these islands, will eliminate unnecessary red tape to enable agriculture to grow in a challenging economic climate. Extensive research has been carried out and I have listened and met with various groups and these changes are warmly welcomed. I want to help expand our agri-food business by 40% in the next few years. That is what producers tell me they hope to achieve – these changes can help the industry to do so.

"These new rights strike an essential balance, they free up farmers to make improvements with safeguards to protect neighbours and ensure that development is of an appropriate scale and character."

The new rights will also provide for the installation of structures of up to 500 square metres to house anaerobic digestion plant on agricultural units. Put simply, anaerobic digestion is a treatment process using, for example, farm crops and animal waste to produce biogas which can be used as a fuel to power and heat the farm.

(CD/JP)