Responding to the Housing, Communities and Local Government
report, Paul Miner, head of land use and
planning at CPRE, the countryside charity, said:
‘The planning system is one of
the most powerful levers the government can
pull to tackle climate breakdown and build new low carbon
and affordable homes. The fact that local councils aren't being
supported screams inaction when we have no time to
spare.
‘Net zero will be out of
reach without fundamental change – all new housing
developments must be carbon
negative, with the most
environmentally friendly designs possible as
well as hedgerows, woodlands
and nature being integrated into the planning
process. In recent years, 75 per cent of
all new housing developments have been of mediocre or poor
design quality, and we have lost five years of any progress
on more energy efficient new
homes. The climate emergency must urgently be
put at the heart of planning decisions for there to be any
real chance of hitting net zero by
2050.
‘Local plans need to
radically reduce public dependence on car travel
by introducing thriving 20-minute
neighbourhoods that place housing, amenities and workplaces
within walking distance of each
other. A genuine ‘brownfield first’
approach would have the dual benefits
of redeveloping land and buildings in the heart
of communities where housing is most needed, while at
the same time retaining and reusing the embodied
carbon.’
