Tackling climate change through the planning system

The Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Planning and Climate Change was published in December. Among other things it requires all councils to limit carbon emissions by setting targets for using local renewable sources and low carbon energy in new housing developments.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has commissioned Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and Faber Maunsell to develop practice guidance on delivering the policies in the PPS. A working draft of that guidance is now available from ERM's website (www.erm.com/practiceguideance). By publishing a working draft ERM and Faber Maunsell hope to gain a better understanding of the respects in which practitioners want the guidance to be further developed. They are also keen to include as much good practice as possible and draw on early experience of implementing the PPS.

The intention is to create a web-based tool which can be updated as more experience is gained and more examples become available. DCLG will be considering with stakeholders how best to achieve that, and the appropriate host for such a tool.

ERM will be holding workshops to consider the draft. DCLG would also welcome written contributions, as early as possible, and in any event no later than 13 June 2008. Londonforum can provide email addresses on request.

Meanwhile the Government is bringing forward secondary legislation to give householders new permitted development rights for microgeneration using renewable energy sources. This follows the consultation launched in April 2007 (Changes to Permitted Development - Consultation Paper 1: Permitted Development Rights for Householder Microgeneration) and the response to the consultation published in November.

The Government intends to provide permitted development rights for the following types of microgeneration: solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, biomass, and combined heat and power. It says these rights will be subject to specific limits and conditions that will ensure any adverse impact on others is not significant. In the case of noise and vibration from wind turbines and air source heat pumps that requires new standards ad safeguards to be developed. The
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is working with the
industry to develop a certification scheme for microgeneration that covers
standards for products and for their installation.

A table showing the intended limits and conditions on permitted development rights for microgeneration is on pages 5-6 of the response to the consultation, which is on the DCLG website at www.communities.gov.uk.

Th intended limits and conditions will not necessarily be effective as controls on the visual impact of renewable energy devices. Within the national framework for permitted development rights the Government accepts that it might be necessary in certain instances for these rights to be amended locally - either by providing additional rights through local development orders or by restricting rights through the use of Article 4 Directions. Where justified the Government will encourage planning authorities to consider using those powers.

10 April 2008