The planning system needs to play a central role in meeting the challenge of climate change, but this should not be at the expense of wider environmental objectives.

This was the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) [1] reaction to the Prime Minister’s speech today (Monday). [2]

Neil Sinden said:

‘We very much welcome Gordon Brown’s ambitious strategy to tackle climate change and his recognition of the urgency of the issue. 

‘But it will be difficult to take this seriously while aviation continues to expand largely unchecked.  A key test of the Government’s credibility on climate change and on planning will be whether the Aviation White Paper is treated as the template for future planning policy on airport expansion. [3] If it is, it will be impossible to see planning reforms as anything other than a means of driving through new development.

‘We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to promoting a broad range of renewable energy technologies and to ensuring that onshore wind farms are “sited in the right places”.  But democratic planning involving local communities is an essential means of ensuring that such developments do go in the right place and have legitimacy.  The planning system is undermined by talk of buying off communities to accept energy developments.’ [4]
Neil Sinden concluded:

‘The publication of the Planning Reform Bill, expected this week, will be a crucial test of the Prime Minister’s green credentials.’

– END –

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: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown was addressing a seminar in London hosted by the WWF today (Monday).

3. If, as is rumoured, the Government uses the Aviation White Paper as a National Policy Statement, it will be sanctioning the expansion of airport capacity to more than double its current capacity (from 228 million passengers a year in 2005 to 465 million by 2030).

4. In his speech Gordon Brown said: ‘I recognise that wind farms and other new energy installations are often seen as a burden to the local communities living near them, while their benefits go to society at large. So I want to explore how local communities can themselves benefit from the economic opportunities they create.’