Lords signal climate links to Planning Bill

Vicki Shiel, Planning, 23 May 2008

Speaking at a meeting arranged by Friends of the Earth (FoE), Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers agreed to a proposal whereby decisions on major infrastructure projects would look at climate change.

The lords leading on the Planning Bill for the Conservative Party agreed that the Planning, Climate Change and Energy Bills should be reviewed in conjunction.

As the Planning and Climate Change Bills stand, local authorities would need to factor in climate change when examining a house extension but the infrastructure planning commission (IPC) would not when assessing an airport expansion.

Conservative Lord Dixon-Smith said: "We do need to think about incorporating climate change in the Planning Bill. The government is well aware of its failings."

FoE is calling for climate change to become a mandatory consideration in the preparation of national policy statements. It argues that climate change should play a key role in IPC decisions on major infrastructure. FoE proposed the amendments to the DCLG earlier this year (Planning, 8 February, p1).

FoE planning adviser Hugh Ellis said: "There are no links between the Planning and Climate Change Bills, which is remarkable given that national policy covers major energy applications. We need a framework that can cope with climate change."