New Government guidance to boost green power

Government ministers believe a new wave of local renewable energy supply and community-based power schemes should flourish thanks to new planning policy advice just published.

According to the Government's eagerly awaited planning policy statement on planning and climate change all councils will be expected to provide for on-site renewable energy and local community energy schemes to help cut carbon emissions from new developments.

Planning 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 green energy."

The PPS made it clear that planning authorities should set out a target percentage of the energy to be used in new development to come from decentralised and renewable or low-carbon energy sources where this is viable. "The target should avoid prescription on technologies and be flexible in how carbon savings from local energy supplies are to be secured," said the guidance.

The advice stated that where there are particular and demonstrable opportunities for greater use of decentralised and renewable or low-carbon energy than the target percentage, planning authorities should "bring forward development area or site-specific targets to secure this potential".

Councils are being recommended to look at the opportunities for co-locating potential heat customers and heat suppliers. "Where there are existing decentralised energy supply systems, or firm proposals, planning authorities can expect proposed development to connect to an identified system, or be designed to be able to connect in the future."

At the same time as publishing the new PPS, Communities and Local Government noted that a new report from the UK Green Building Council made it clear that new commercial buildings must move towards achieving zero carbon emissions in the same way that all new housing will be carbon neutral by 2016.

Read the Communities and Local Government news release

Download the Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change (PDF, 424KB)

Roger Milne

19 December 2007