1. Rural
Hertfordshire
Setting the Scene
Ben Underwood
CLA Director East

2. About the CLA Membership based organisation with 34,000 members
Represent 50% of the rural land in England & Wales and over 260 types of rural business
Lawyers, tax specialist, chartered surveyors, economists, planners, rural housing. agriculture, renewable energy, water, environment, heritage, forestry and woodland
County branches, CLA Council, National committees
Bill groups, specialists working groups

3. Rural Hertfordshire
Of the total area of Hertfordshire (164,306 hectares as at
2011), 111,159 hectares (67.7%) were classified as rural and 57,147
hectares (32,3%) were classified as urban.
In population terms only 11.5% of Hertfordshire residents live in rural
areas with 88.5% living in urban areas.

4. The farming landscape
Total Income from Farming is estimated to have fallen between 2014 and
2015 by 29% (£1,526 million) in real terms, to £3,769 million.
Other challenges:
Cash flow – Basic Payment Scheme delays
Countryside stewardship – challenges to entry and compliance
Renewable energy – changing landscape
Crop protection products
Competing interests for land – ecosystem services
Regulatory burden
BREXIT

5. Challenges and opportunities
Specific challenges in Hertfordshire:
High land values, making access to land for expansion/starting out
difficult
Lack of affordable rural housing
Tension with non-farming neighbours
Urban-centric policies and a restrictive planning regime
Specific opportunities in Hertfordshire:
Access to vast, lucrative urban markets
Urban waste used/processed on farm
Diversification opportunities
Challenges and opportunities

6. Diversification and rural businesses
Diversification has risen from 10% to nearly 25% since 2012 in terms of
average contribution to farm incomes.
Farm Business Income – 2014/15 (Defra, 2015)
More registered businesses per head of population in predominantly rural
areas than in predominantly urban
Agriculture, forestry & fishing’ accounts for 15.6 percent of
businesses in rural areas.

7. The Rural Economy

8. Barriers to rural business

9. A planning system that unlocks investment
57 percent of agricultural to residential planning applications made in
Hertfordshire in 2015 were refused.
This compares to an average refusal rate of 43 percent across the
CLA’s eastern region during the same period.
56 decisions made in 2015 by Hertfordshire’s local planning authorities
regarding agricultural to residential planning applications under
Permitted Development Rights. Six were granted, 32 were refused, and
18 were judged as not requiring Prior Approval.
Of these, East Hertfordshire District Council refused 14 – the most of
any of the county’s local planning authorities.

10. Good connectivity
County-wide fibre coverage of 90 per cent by the end of March 2016, with
coverage to reach 95% in Hertfordshire by September 2017 and 98% by June 2018

11. An effective framework for economic delivery
Rural proofing of policies need to be carried out at all levels of governance including County Council, Borough/District, LEP, Police.
Priority must be given to effective distribution of investment funds into infrastructure that makes rural businesses more accessible (especially broadband and mobile), providing skills and training for new and established businesses, and providing marketing support.
A clear understanding in schools of the opportunities in agriculture and the wider rural economy
Encourage public procurement policies to support urban fringe farmers.
Encouraging private landowners to build affordable homes by broadening the types of provider accepted by councils;

12. BREXIT - THE PRINCIPLE ISSUES

13. DIRECT SUPPORT

14. Payments for ecosystem services