John Healey (Labour)

Moving towards a low-carbon economy requires a revolution in the way we design, heat and power our buildings. Planning must respond to this challenge, and help make low-carbon lifestyles the norm. Whatever is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future, past emissions mean that some climate change is already inevitable. As well as planning for a low-carbon future we must therefore also plan for a future with a changing climate—and do this in a way that protects our natural and cultural heritage.

The draft Planning Policy Statement: “Planning for a Low-Carbon Future in a Changing Climate” updates and brings together in one place existing planning policy on climate change and renewable energy. When finalised, this streamlined policy will be central to our national series of planning policy statements, and operate alongside the new suite of national policy statements for energy infrastructure. It will provide the overarching framework for our planning policies on climate change, both on measures to reduce carbon and to adapt to a changing climate.

We already have planning policy on climate change (published in 2007) and renewable energy (2004). This consultation brings together this policy into a single document and reflects the ambition to tackle climate change set out in the “Low Carbon Transition Plan”. This Government’s determination to transform how we use energy was underlined when we published on 2 March 2010 “Warm Homes, Greener Homes” www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/saving_energy/hem/hem.aspx. This strategy sets out the key role of local government and planning in driving the development of renewable heat networks.

To help introduce and operate this new planning policy, I am making available a package worth £9.75 million to develop the new skills and improve capacity across the range of local authority responsibilities needed to tackle climate change. This will help strengthen the skills and knowledge needed by planners, including in planning for increased renewable energy supply and encouraging local communities to take positive action on climate change.

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