Rics in planning law change call - commercial mortgages

09 June 2008

In news which may interest those looking for commercial mortgages in rural areas, the Royal institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has called for a change to help the development of more commercial property in the countryside.

The call was made by Rics public policy officer James Rowlands in response to a report on the rural economy by Dr Stuart Burgess, the government''s rural advocate, which stated it was possible to double the economic output of Britain''s rural areas.

Mr Rowlands suggested an important step to achieving this was to alter planning laws to help business expand, stating that at present: "The success of rural businesses is being hampered by government planning policy, which places unfair restrictions on property development in the countryside."

He said a major problem was the sustainability criterion which meant a business could miss out if it was not close to public transport links.

The report by Dr Burgess has been passed to the prime minister to consider what measures to introduce to boost the countryside.