Agricultural Planning Supplementary Planning Document

We are consulting on the Agricultural Planning Supplementary Planning Document (AP SPD) between 28 November 2022 and 24 February 2023 and we would like your views.

Please read the SPD document and answer our questions by scrolling to the bottom of the page.

The SPD includes the following: 

1. An outline the issues that may arise in relation to agricultural development. It is important that we do this because it will help developers submitting proposals for agricultural developments to improve the quality of associated information that may be required to support the planning application and therefore assist the decision making process. 

2. Provides a tool to determine the phosphate loading of a proposed development to inform the determination of planning applications within the River Wye Catchment. This is an innovative approach to include this in an SPD to inform decision making. 

At this time, the SPD is produced to supplement the policies of the adopted Core Strategy 2011-2031 and it can only apply to farming developments that require planning permission. The SPD is designed to provide additional immediate guidance to developers between now and when the updated Local Plan is formally adopted to become the county’s new development plan during 2024.

Herefordshire Council is committed to improving the quality of the County’s rivers  Despite this being an important issue to Herefordshire, it is not possible to introduce new policy approaches in the SPD but there is opportunity to do this as part of the emerging Local Plan 2021-2041 and comments received regarding local ambitions to strengthen and extend existing policies beyond what is stated in this SDP will form a useful evidence base for future policy development.

All feedback during the consultation will be carefully considered, before the final draft is put forward for formal adoption by the council.

Our Wider Work

Developing a replacement for Farmscoper - This SPD includes a guide to using Farmscoper for assessing phosphate loading.  Farmscoper is a decision support tool that can be used to assess diffuse agricultural pollutant loads on a farm and quantify the impacts of farm mitigation methods on these pollutants.

The approach to providing the methodology for determining phosphate loading in an SPD is one of the first in the country.  We understand that research will continue and new mechanisms to do this may emerge over time.  Indeed the council is working with leading national experts on this to scope a more specific tool.  However this will take time and as nutrient loading in rivers is an urgent and pressing issue in the County, it is important that something is in place as soon as possible and we believe that the SPD is a step forward in seeking to address this issue.  The Farmscoper tool is used as it is currently considered to be the best tool available for this purpose. 

The Cabinet Commission- Herefordshire Council has brought together Powys, Monmouthshire and Forest of Dean Councils, the councils that encompass the Wye Catchment to develop    further proposals to restore the Wye and is working intensively to develop solutions to this complex challenge.  The Commission will report in the Spring of next year.

Thank you for your interest in this consultation.  

If you have any questions, please contact ldf@herefordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01432 383637