Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to align
England’s planning system and building regulations with (1) the
net zero emissions target, and (2) other environmental goals.
The Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government () (Con)
Through our current programme of planning reform we will ensure
that the planning system continues to play an effective role in
supporting progress towards net-zero emissions and delivering
meaningful change for our environment. In addition, the future
homes standard will ensure that new homes built from 2025 will
produce at least 75% less carbon emissions than homes delivered
under current regulations.
(Lab)
My Lords, I thank the Minister, but the fact is that the carbon
assessments in the present system are not biting or binding.
Construction and building use between them account for nearly 40%
of carbon emissions. There are two things which might actually
bite. First, in regeneration projects of housing or offices,
demolish and rebuild means the release of embedded carbon, the
carbon cost of rubble disposal and then the carbon cost of
complete rebuild with carbon-intensive products such as steel,
glass and concrete. Developers, local authority planners and
architects should be required to first assess the relative carbon
effects of the option of retrofitting to higher-grade efficiency
standards. Secondly, building regulations should prescribe and
enforce the use of energy efficiency and water-efficient systems
and appliances in all new build and retrofit. Can the Minister
include this in the reform of the planning system?
(Con)
My Lords, I point out that the current approach is biting. We
have achieved a growth in our economy of 78% while cutting
emissions by 44% over the past three decades, which is something
to celebrate and something that successive Governments can be
proud of. We also recognise the benefits of retrofit ahead of
demolition. Reuse and adaption of existing buildings can make an
important contribution to tackling climate change, and the
National Planning Policy Framework already encourages this.
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer. As your Lordships
may be aware, the Church of England has declared a climate
emergency and is aiming for net zero by 2030. In the diocese of
Oxford, we are stewards of 470 parsonages and many other
buildings. We have a lot of work to do, and a lot of investment
is required to bring those buildings to net zero. Two things are
preventing us making progress; we clearly need to spread the work
over a decade. The first is knowing the Government’s plans for
home heating and the second is the help and support that will be
available from government for those changes. The system needs to
be simple and sustainable and to carry confidence. When will we
know the way forward?
(Con)
Well, we are shaping the way forward through building
regulations, and there will be further movement on that this year
as we move towards the future homes standard in 2025. We welcome
the fact that the Church is doing its bit to recognise the
climate emergency. I point out that at least 74% of councils are
also working towards that, but more will follow as we respond to
the consultation following the publication of the White Paper.
(Con)
Can my noble friend give an assurance that the planning system
will continue to support and protect the environment?
(Con)
I can give my noble friend that assurance. Existing environmental
protections will continue to be upheld and mandatory biodiversity
net gain will lead to wider environmental benefits.
(CB)
My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. In
June this year, the Climate Change Committee recommended that all
government policy, including planning decisions, should be
subject to a net-zero test, yet last week the Government
announced that they would not be reviewing the outdated airports
national planning policy statement, so we risk the approval of
infrastructure projects which clash with our climate and
environmental commitments. Will the Government remedy that
situation by including a net-zero test in the planning Bill?
My Lords, I point out that our proposed outcomes-based system of
integrated assessment will provide the Government with a
mechanism to reflect their environmental ambitions, including
wider net-zero commitments, in the planning process.
The Lord Speaker ()
I call the noble Lord, . No? I call the noble Lord, .
(LD)
My Lords, does the Minister recognise that the decision in 2016
to scrap the zero-carbon homes scheme was a catastrophic mistake,
and can he tell us the amount of carbon that has been emitted
from the 1 million substandard homes that have been built since
that time?
(Con)
My Lords, I point to the considerable progress we have made in
cutting carbon emissions while building more homes. We have a
plan to further reduce that. Our work on a full technical
specification for the future homes standard has been accelerated,
and we will consult on it in 2023. This year, we are introducing
an interim uplift in Part L standards that will deliver a
meaningful reduction in carbon emissions. This is the stepping
stone to ensure that our future homes reduce their carbon
footprint and we hit our targets.
(Con)
My Lords, the water companies are committed to achieving net zero
by 2030. To be able to do so, they need the tools to do the job.
In ending the automatic right to connect, it is essential that
sufficient sustainable drains are built. Will my noble friend
ensure that the Government adopt the necessary building
regulations to facilitate this?
(Con)
My noble friend is an inveterate champion of sustainable urban
drainage, which is far better than the use of grey
infrastructure. Of course, we will reflect the desire to see
sustainable planning and urban drainage solutions where
practicable.
(Lab)
My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. Last
month, the i newspaper reported that homes in the UK heat up
twice as fast as the European average during heatwaves. As a
result, demand for air conditioning units has increased, which in
turn uses energy and increases emissions. Can the Minister
outline what steps the Government are taking to address this,
especially considering that temperatures are expected to rise in
the coming decades?
(Con)
My Lords, above all, we recognise the need to move away from
fossil fuel heating to meet our commitment to net-zero greenhouse
gas emissions by 2050. We are approaching that by continuing to
set performance-based standards rather than mandating a solution.
We are making progress to achieve that and we will continue to
come up with ideas that drive progress in this area.
(CB)
Could we also insist that the Government, as well as putting an
enormous effort into zero-emissions reduction, look at all the
industries that need to be supported so that they can counter the
worst effects of what is happening with the climate?
(Con)
I think we are well positioned to take that on board, because the
number of people in low-carbon industries has increased
considerably and we are seeing a reduction in emissions.
(LD)
My Lords, two Liberal Democrat Secretaries of State for Energy
and Climate Change quadrupled our renewable electricity output,
making us a world leader in offshore wind. With only 52 days to
go before COP 26, why are the Government not saying a categoric
no to projects such as the Cumbrian coal mine, which will move us
backwards and torpedo our international credibility, not least in
persuading China and India to stop their investment in coal?
(Con)
My Lords, I am not surprised that the Cumbrian coal mine has been
mentioned. As noble Lords will know, on 11 March the Secretary of
State called in the planning application for a coking coal mine
in Cumbria. The Secretary of State’s published letter calling in
the application set out his reasons for doing so. The application
having been called in, a public inquiry overseen by an
independent planning inspector is currently under way to consider
the proposal. Once the inquiry is closed, the inspector will
prepare a report and recommendation and the case will come before
Ministers. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment on the
details of the application.
(CB)
My Lords, the built environment is responsible for around 43% of
total carbon emissions and the planning system has a central role
to play in addressing its environmental impact. As president of
the CBI, I ask the Minister whether he agrees that it is
absolutely essential to business that there is consistency and
alignment across planning, net zero and building safety.
Furthermore, although business supports the Government’s vision
for a streamlined, faster process for planning decisions, surely
he would agree that more needs to be done and set out so that
planning can incentivise greener homes, greener buildings and a
low-carbon energy network.
(Con)
My Lords, I would agree with what the noble Lord said: it is
important to join up government and we are making progress in
this area. How we intend to do this will be outlined imminently
as we respond to the consultation on the Planning for the Future
White Paper and set out our legislation in this Session.
