Published: 20 December 2007
Planning for Renewable Energy
A new wave of local renewable energy supply & community power schemes will receive government backing.
Changes to the planning system will mean all councils will be expected to provide for on-site renewable energy and local community energy schemes to help cut carbon emissions from new developments, Yvette Cooper said, as she published a new Planning Policy Statement on Climate change.
Planners must now promote green growth.
New planning rules on economic growth (PPS4), also published for consultation, will expect councils to provide greater flexibility in their plans to allow different businesses to succeed and create jobs.
Councils will be expected to give greater consideration to regeneration and economic factors including by identifying more sites which can be used flexibly if business needs change.
The Government says that the planning system should do more to support jobs, but should also deliver higher environmental standards at the same time.
By publishing the climate change statement alongside the draft one for economic development the government is ‘making clear that action on climate change must run alongside economic growth and increased housing’.
The rules make clear that councils should be drawing up proposals to cut climate change which also support the increased housing targets as well as job and regeneration too.
A new report from the UK Green Building Council also published this week, makes clear that new commercial buildings must move towards achieving zero carbon too.
The report, commissioned by Yvette Cooper, says that industry should be set a similar long term timetable for achieving zero carbon. Commercial buildings currently account for 18% of carbon emissions.
Ministers believe there is huge potential for local power to support not just new housing development, but new office and other commercial buildings too.
The department is working with the UKGBC on a timetable to cut carbon emissions for non domestic buildings and the new planning rules will be expected to support that.
The planning rules will mean councils and developers should be considering things like solar panels, wind turbines or heat pumps that can generate energy from on the site of new development.
They should also look at the potential for connecting developments to neighbouring community heating and power schemes that can serve an entire local community.
These plans build on the Merton rule which requires all new non-residential developments above a certain size to generate at least 10% of their energy on-site from renewable sources or the Mayor of London's plans to double renewable's share of UK electricity supply from the 2010 target of 10% to 20% by 2020.
Councils will also have to think about the location of developments much more, as the location of a development must now promote green growth where possible.
Councils also have a responsibility to plan in way that prepares for and responds the impact of a changing climate and its consequences - not only the effects which are felt today, but also those that can be anticipated in the future.
Communities must be resilient to climate change and plans must provide green spaces and urban cooling.
The priority for any new development continues to use Brownfield land & sites which are accessible for public transport.
However the new rules will mean councils should consider where a development is located so that it can maximise the potential for renewable energy generation and provide enough flexibility to allow different businesses to succeed and create jobs.
This could mean making the most of sites which:
· are south facing so they catch the sun
· could use windy areas nearby
· are over aquifers for ground source heating, or
· those near to business & industrial development to take advantage of surplus heat created by large office and economic developments - For example Barking CHP is linked to the power station
Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said
"It's all about local power. If we are to reach the ambitious zero carbon standards we need a revolution in the way we heat and power our homes. We want councils to do more to back local green energy.
We need the planning system to do more to back jobs, economic growth and regeneration but also to support higher environmental standards as we do so.
Economic growth and environmental standards are not alternatives they need to go hand in hand.
We need to be environmentally ambitious about all buildings, not just housing.
We don't just need eco homes - we need eco offices, eco shops, eco pubs and clubs. And surprisingly the technologies to do it may be considerably more familiar than many people think.
For example sites on 'the sunny side of the street' may be better for solar panels."
Moving towards a low-carbon economy requires a revolution in the way that we design, heat and power our buildings, and a concerted effort from a huge number of organisations - from local authorities, to developers, to environmental groups and local communities themselves.
It also requires collaborative and responsible working to ensure change takes place alongside delivering the additional homes as well as the new jobs and regeneration we need.
The policy is intended to provide a strong framework for that degree of co-operation.
Further information
Planning Policy Statement on Climate change
New planning rules on economic growth (PPS4) (consultation closes on 17 March 2008)
UKGBC: Carbon Reductions in New Non Domestic Buildings
UK Green Building Council
Merton rule
A Guide to the Barking Town Centre Energy Action Area
Related articles
Helping Businesses go Green
Designing Green Towns of the Future
Joint declaration by Cities to tackle climate change
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