PLANNING ADVICE NOTE: PAN 73: RURAL DIVERSIFICATION
Defining Diversification
Rural Diversity
10. Scotland is a diverse country. Its varied landscapes and rich bio-diversity are highly valued. A rich heritage and strong cultural diversity is reflected in its communities, communities that continually change and grow. The built environment of rural areas is equally diverse. Land is owned and managed by many different people and organisations: crofters, farmers, foresters, estate owners, private companies, public bodies, Government agencies and non-Government organisations, local authorities and the communities themselves. Materials and built forms differ across the country and help give areas their distinctiveness, identity and sense of place. Settlement patterns can vary greatly from small fishing and mining villages to large county towns. Against this backdrop are the many different people who live and work in, or visit, our rural areas and contribute to their vitality. There is a lot happening in our countryside, villages and small towns, with an increasingly wide range of activities supporting businesses of many descriptions. It is this diverse economic activity of rural Scotland that is the focus of this Planning Advice Note.
Hutton Stone's Swinton Quarry, West Fishwick
Rural Diversification
11. In its simplest terms rural diversification means the establishment of new enterprises in rural locations. This can mean existing businesses entering into new areas of activity or the creation of entirely new enterprises. With more people enjoying access to the countryside rural Scotland has nurtured a growing tourism and leisure sector, but widespread access to rural areas has also meant that many people can now choose to live in the countryside but continue to work in urban centres. Developments in information and communications technology mean that activities previously requiring a city office can now be done almost anywhere and many people are choosing to both live and work in our rural areas. Rural diversification helps to broaden the economic activity of rural areas, providing opportunity and creating a more balanced and stable economy.
Farm Diversification
12. In the midst of these changes we should not lose sight of the intrinsic rural character that makes our countryside attractive to live and work in. Traditional sectors like farming and forestry are essential in retaining this rural character but these are changing too. Agricultural diversification has meant farmers concentrating on new areas of agriculture, growing alternative crops, rearing new breeds and turning to organic farming. Farm diversification has involved farming families adapting even further and turning their skills to new businesses secondary to the main farm business. These enterprises may be an extension of the existing farm business but equally the new activity can be unrelated to agriculture. Some have been so successful in these new enterprises that farming is now their secondary activity. Farm diversification is therefore an integral part of wider rural diversification that enables farmers and their families to continue the farming activity while providing jobs and income for others in the community.
Peel Farm shop, Lintrathen
The Diversity of the Rural Economy
13. There are many activities that make a valuable contribution to the rural economy that are less immediately obvious such as large scale industrial activities like quarrying and waste disposal, hydro-electric schemes and wind turbines, as well as light industrial activities such as repair shops and machinists. In addition to this are all the normal services and facilities that communities need to function - shops, medical centres, petrol stations, community facilities, hairdressers, accountants; the list is endless. The fact is that, although they may sometimes take a different form or be delivered in unique ways, nearly all of the businesses and services we find in urban areas can be found to some extent in rural areas. When planned well, all of these activities can contribute to the diversity of rural Scotland.
Scapa Scuba, lifeboat house, Stromness
'Agricultural Unit' means land which is occupied as a unit for agricultural purposes, including any dwelling house or other building occupied by the same person for the purpose of farming the land. Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 Chapter 8 PART V, 122. - (1)
The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department issue all agricultural units with an Agricultural Code Number.