Written - Planning for Climate Change

I am announcing today the Assembly Government’s consultation package on Planning for Climate Change as promised in the Environment Strategy 2006 Action Plan, published earlier this year. The Plan makes clear this Government‘s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring an effective response to the impacts of climate change.

The UK Government has set a domestic target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent below the 1990 baseline levels by 2010. The Climate Change Programme will take the UK closer to this domestic target, and ensure that the UK can make real progress by 2020 towards the Government’s long-term ambition to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent by about 2050.  Even with effective policies for reducing emissions in place, the world will still experience significant climate change over the coming decades from emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases already released. Changes in climate are likely to have far-reaching, and potentially adverse, effects on our environment, economy and society for which we need to prepare.

There is an urgent need for action and a wide range of policy levers available to help tackle climate change. The Assembly Government has already signed up to taking action in each portfolio and work to tackle climate change is underway in all policy areas within the Welsh Assembly Government.

On 25th October at the inaugural meeting of Cross-Sector Climate Change Group, I announced that stronger planning guidance would be issued before Christmas. Current planning policy (Planning Policy Wales (2002) and Mineral Planning Policy Wales (MPPW), and associated Technical Advice Notes (TANs)) already contain cross cutting policies on climate change. However, these need to be reviewed and improved if we are to meet the increasing challenges of climate change in 2007 and beyond.  I am grateful for the constructive input of the Cross-Sector climate Change Group.

The consultation package that I am publishing today proposes amendments to national planning policy, by way of a draft Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statement (MIPPS) on Climate Change.  It introduces a new approach to planning advice on how to implement the new policy using a draft Climate Change Compendium.

Draft TANs 5(Nature Conservation and Planning), 13(Tourism), 16(Sport Recreation and Open Space), and 18(Transport) and the draft Minerals TAN for Coal, which have been subject to consultation this year but not yet finalised, will be considered further in light of the draft Climate Change MIPPS.

Although the scale of the challenge in reducing green house gas emissions can seem overwhelming, it has always struck me how small changes, when implemented by many, could make a big difference. For example: introducing solar thermal power to a new house could reduce its carbon emissions by as much as 10%. On the other hand, the impact of changes in the planning rules for new development are only the beginning of a long and more complex process in terms of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases from the built environment. And we must not forget that making new buildings resilient to the effects of climate change will benefit individuals and the economy in the future.

The draft Climate Change Compendium sets out the proposed scope and role of the document. It is designed to be of assistance to local planning authorities (lpas), developers and applicants in interpreting policies included in the MIPPS as well as a document that can be quickly updated to meet new circumstances and incorporate new ideas. And it offers a taste of the detailed  nature of the final version by including an example of how to use the planning system to reduce CO2 emissions.

Following consideration of the responses to consultation documents issued in the summer, I have decided to make design statements accompanying planning applications statutory. The Assembly Government will bring forward legislation and guidance on design statements in 2007. Such statements are a tool for ensuring that the sustainability implications of new development are expressly outlined at the planning application stage, including how buildings should be designed to take account of climate change.  This tool is explored in the draft Compendium.

Informed by recent research, funded jointly with the Department for Local Government and Communities (DCLG), the Assembly Government intends to bring forward secondary legislation next year to ensure that installation of domestic micro-generation equipment is facilitated through the planning system.

In England, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced this week a consultation on new planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change.  DCLG have also published a revised voluntary Code for Sustainable Homes, which the Assembly Government will need to consider, and indicated proposed changes to Building Regulations focussed on the achievement of zero carbon development. The Assembly Government has been liasing with DCLG on these issues, and welcomes the increased emphasis on securing improvements to the energy performance of buildings.

I am pleased to note that some Welsh local planning authorities have published Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) covering aspects of climate change and I would urge others to follow suit.  With the assistance of the Assembly Government, the WLGA is producing a research report in the spring (2007) providing additional information to assist local authorities in doing so.  Working closely with the WLGA and with the help of the Design Commission for Wales, we will provide training for local planning authorities equipping them with the skills to deliver this agenda.

I expect local planning authorities to take account of the draft MIPPs from today when developing new Local Development Plans.

Responses to the consultation on Planning for Climate Change will be required by the 30th of March.