NAPE's climate change champion Michael Lloyd Hughes writes:
The Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson has updated national planning policy with an increased focus on tackling climate change. She has launched the second edition of Planning Policy Wales, which includes all the policy updates that have been issued since 2002 in the form of Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statements (MIPPS).

The new edition of Planning Policy Wales also reflects changes to facts, law, policies and other documents referred to in the original Planning Policy Wales (published in 2002) and in the various MIPPs. Highlighting the important role the Welsh planning system has to play in tackling climate change, the Minister stated:

“The main driver for this version of Planning Policy Wales is to further embed the need to tackle climate change into the planning system. Climate change is one of the most serious global threats facing us today.

“Climate change will have potentially profound environmental, economic and social justice implications and failure to address it will make planning for sustainable development impossible. As a small industrialised nation, Wales has the opportunity to lead the way in tackling climate change, and the planning system must play its part.”

The consolidates and revises the strategic policy framework local planning authorities use when preparing development plans and determining applications for planning permission.

TAN 22

The Welsh Assembly Government has at the same time issued guidance to both local planning authorities and developers on how to deliver sustainable buildings through the planning system with the publication of Technical Advice Note 22 (TAN 22) Planning for Sustainable Buildings.

The TAN sets out the planning guidance to support the innovative planning policy published in 2009. This policy set new standards for new buildings proposed in Wales.

This means that new homes will reduce their carbon emissions by more than 31 per cent compared to current building regulations through the greater use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Author:

Catherine Middleton

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

18-Jun-10

Categories:

 

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