New planning rules to back renewables and community heating schemes
18 December 2007 - Changes to the planning system published today mean all councils will be expected to set out rules in their local plans to back on-site renewable energy and local community energy schemes.
The new planning rules [PPS Climate Change] will expect all councils to put policies in place that will give a major push for locally-distributed energy schemes in their plans.
This could mean big increases in the use of local wind power, solar panels, and community heating and power schemes. Use of renewables; will be expected for all new buildings, not just homes which already have to be zero carbon by 2016.
Ministers believe that the future is local and there is huge potential for local power to support not just new housing development, but new office and other commercial buildings too.
These new ambitious plans are similar to 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 renewables' share of UK electricity supply from the 2010 target of 10% to 20% by 2020.
The announcement will mean councils can focus new developments and local energy supply on things like solar panels, wind turbines or heat pumps that can generate energy from on the site of new development. But they will also take advantage of other local energy resources by promoting the use of community heating and power schemes that might be adjacent to the site and serve an entire local community.
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"
This first Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change will introduce new requirements for councils that make it clear that tackling climate change must be a primary objective of the planning system. It will be published alongside Planning Policy Statement 4 which supports economic development. They are linked together because it is key that eco growth and environmental standards go hand in hand when it comes to the planning system.
Local planning must be refocused to ensure that communities can develop in a way that confronts the twin challenges of the Twenty-First Century - economic globalisation and climate change.
The key priority for any new development continues to be that it uses Brownfield land on sites which are accessible for public transport. However the new rules will mean councils will also have to consider location and look at the potential for renewable energy generation - including sites which are south-facing rather than north-facing so they catch the sun, sites that are windy rather than sheltered, sites over aquifers for ground source heating, or near to business and industrial development to take advantage of surplus heat created by large office and economic developments. For example Barking CHP linked to the power station.
The changes will mean that councils have to think about the location of developments much more. The location of a development must now promote green growth where possible. Plans need allow for renewable energy to be used and provide enough flexibility to allow different businesses to succeed and create jobs.
A consultation is expected to be launched later this week [by BERR] about changes to the energy market that will develop more flexible arrangement to make it economically more viable for distributed energy schemes to contribute to the grid.