Countryside campaigners CPRE [1] today warmly welcomed Ruth Kelly’s statement ‘that existing Green Belt policy has served us well, and I am yet to be convinced that substantial policy changes are needed’.

CPRE Chief Executive Shaun Spiers said: ‘We entirely agree, and our polling shows the public does too [2] – but we worry about whether the rest of Government shares her view. We’ll be campaigning for Green Belts strongly in the next few weeks, as Government draws up its planning White Paper.’

Kate Barker’s review of planning, commissioned by HM Treasury, called for reviews of Green Belt boundaries across England. [3] Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, gave an initial response in an important speech about planning and climate change today. [4]

She also opened consultation on a new policy statement on planning and climate change, and published the final version of a Code for Sustainable Homes which sets new standards for housebuilders. [5]

CPRE broadly welcomes both of these. But we strongly oppose the proposal to overturn policies which set stringent requirements for minimising the impact of new renewable energy schemes, such as onshore wind farms, on landscapes.

This proposal contradicts the policy of minimising the impact of such schemes on landscapes which exists in current national planning policy for renewable energy, and the Government’s Good Practice Guide on planning for renewables. [6]

Under the existing policy, planners can set key criteria in their regional spatial plans and their local development plans to steer the location of wind farms to areas of lower landscape sensitivity. [7] But the new proposed policy would give developers a free hand in erecting turbines all over the countryside - except in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This proposal sweeps away existing planning safeguards for renewable energy development. It does away with the notion of balance between competing considerations in planning applications such as landscape protection and CO2 reduction.

Shaun Spiers said: ‘The planning system has a crucial role to play in helping us reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change; we’re glad the Government has recognised that today.

‘Offshore and onshore wind farms can help us to reduce emissions, but it would a tragedy to see rapid expansion of the latter despoiling local rural landscapes which people love and enjoy. For that reason, we’ll strongly oppose this proposal.’

CPRE believes the Government has listened to what the Stern Review [8] says about planning’s major potential contribution to reducing energy consumption, by shaping higher density settlements where people can live closer to their jobs and key services and be less reliant on cars.

And the new Code for Sustainable Homes: A step change in sustainable building practice marks a positive step towards new zero-carbon homes and decentralised energy generation. CPRE wants to see much higher energy efficiency standards also applied to existing homes.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. CPRE commissioned opinion polling in 2005 – the 50th anniversary year of national Green Belt policy – which demonstrated strong public support for Green Belts. Further details available from the press office.

3. Barker Review of Land Use Planning – Final Report, HM Treasury, 2006. Economist Kate Barker is a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee.

4. Speech by Ruth Kelly MP at the ‘Towards Zero Carbon Development’ event hosted by WWF on 13 December 2006.

5. Code for Sustainable Homes A step change in sustainable home building practice, Communities and Local Government, December 2006.

6. Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy Planning, (PPS 22) and Planning for Renewable Energy, A Companion Guide, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004.

7. PPS22.

8. Sir Nicholas Stern’s Review on the Economics of Climate Change, HM Treasury, October 2006.