Climate change is increasingly the focus of global and local policy.
The impacts of climate change could be particularly severe in the East of England. Therefore, it follows that the region should be at the forefront of measures to tackle this issue.
The UK Government has developed a range of climate change related policy in recent months to support the national target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 60% (relative to 1990 levels) by 2050. This includes a requirement for all new homes to be zero carbon by 2016 and a proposal that all new retail and commercial development should be zero carbon by 2019.
The built environment is responsible for nearly half of the UK's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with domestic property being responsible for over a quarter. Nationally and locally there is a growing expectation that local authorities, particularly through their role in Local Area Agreements and the planning system will play a significant community leadership role in achieving Government targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050, particularly emissions from the built environment, including by helping to ensure all new homes are zero carbon by 2016.
To help tackle emissions from the built environment, partners in the region identified the need for a short introductory guide to low and zero carbon development for planners and local authority councillors. Government Office for the East of England (GO-East), Inspire East and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) have worked with the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) to prepare this guide to focus on future development and to assist local authority planners and councillors in the region by providing an introduction to:
- the direction of climate change policy emerging from the Government, in particular policy related to spatial planning
- issues to consider in the development of local spatial planning policy in line with the Planning and Climate Change Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1 (2007)
- how local spatial planning can complement and support the Building Regulation system and the delivery of national targets, particularly those relating to zero carbon homes by 2016
- how to implement planning policies through working with developers
- how councillors can support implementation in their local authorities and ensure their authority leads the community by example.
The guide is intended to complement existing and emerging Government policy and guidance. Full versions of the policies referred to can be accessed via the website links and addresses in the guide.
As national policy continues to develop, periodic revisions to the guide are planned. Comments on what future versions of the guide might include can be sent to:
lowcarbonguide@goeast.gsi.gov.uk
