SINN Fein councillor, Sean McPeake said that his party is determined to resist attempts which are underway to repackage the PPS14 planning regulations.
Cllr McPeake who is a member of his party's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) said:
"At the time the PPS14 planning regulations were first produced there was a universal rejection of them by parties and groups representing rural communities. It
is up to the Executive to meet the justifiable and real concerns of rural dwellers.
"It now seems that the DUP and others on the Executive are content to simply repackage the PPS14 proposals. Sinn Féin will not acquiesce to this position. We will continue to defend the right of rural communities to exist and the rights of rural families to live in the countryside.
"I note that the SDLP leader Mark Durkan is criticising our robust stance on this and other Executive matters while on the other hand fellow SDLP MLAs are claiming to support rural communities. They cannot have it both ways and I would encourage the SDLP to join with us in ensuring that the mistakes of PPS14 are not repeated.
Sinn Féin do not support wholesale unregulated building in the countryside. But we make no apology for standing by rural communities and rural families, particularly non farming families who wish to remain living in a vibrant rural setting."
The full article contains 235 words and appears in Mid Ulster Mail Cookstown newspaper.
