The vast majority of local councils have now declared climate emergencies – but don’t have net zero strategies in local plans, according to new research from CPRE.
The research found that although around 85% of councils in England have announced targets to reach net zero carbon, of the 24 local authority local plans adopted outside Greater London, only one – the Plymouth and South-West Devon Joint Plan – sets out a quantified strategy to reduce its area’s carbon output.
Without clear strategies involving housing, businesses, industry and transport – which between them generate 62% of our carbon emissions – it’s unlikely that councils can meet their climate targets, especially given most local plans are designed to last about 15 years.
CPRE believes planning inspectors must give as much weight to environmental targets as they do housebuilding ones.
CPRE chief executive Crispin Truman said: “We’re not going to hit net zero by accident. We need to plan for it. Unfortunately, local authorities are hamstrung by national planning policy that is woefully behind the times on this issue. Local plans need to act like road maps plotting the path towards the sustainable future envisaged by the government’s climate change legislation. That they don’t come close to doing so is proof of the failure of current national planning policy.
“In terms of climate, we are planning to fail. It is impossible to hit net zero if it isn’t prioritised in local plans. Providing the attractive, affordable housing that people need and ensuring it is environmentally sustainable is not an either/or trade off. We need to do both at the same time and with the same commitment.”
CPRE wants the national planning rules to be amended so that:
- all new developments demonstrate a measurable reduction in net carbon emissions over the life of the development
- all plans demonstrate how they will deliver a reduction in private car mileage
- any plans to boost housing and employment must also be justified on the basis of the additional carbon reductions they will deliver
- all councils must have their net-zero carbon target integrated across the local plan as a whole
