Draft Planning Policy Statement 14 introduced a ‘presumption against development’ in the countryside, with exceptions. Its purpose is to better manage an accelerating trend of development in the countryside, particularly in the building of single dwellings, in the interests of protecting the environment and encouraging more sustainable rural development patterns, consistent with the Regional Development Strategy 2025.
The Department for Regional Development held discussions with other Departments, including a number of meetings with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the development of draft PPS 14.