Renew On Line (UK) 34

Extracts from the November-December 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

UK Planning Battles

‘Ministers are urgently drawing up plans to prevent opposition through public inquiries to the building of nuclear dumps and power stations, motorways, airports and other controversial developments. The plans, which could allow ministers to give the green light to hotly contested projects virtually by decree, pose the greatest threat to democracy in planning since the system was set up by a Labour government half a century ago’. So said Geoffrey Lean, in the Observer on June 17th

The move follows the conversion of the DETR to the Dept. of Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Dept for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Lord Falconer has been put in charge of planning and given the job of pushing the proposals through. These plans were foreshadowed in Labour’s little noticed election manifesto for business, says Lean, and aimed“to reduce unnecessary debate at inquiries”. Instead, the Government will issue “national policy framework statements”, setting out the need for the developments “before they are considered in the planning system”. New parliamentary procedures “to approve projects in principle” will be introduced. Draft plans say that “single debates” would be held in each House “on a motion moved by a Minister, inviting the House to approve the proposals”. After this “a short, subsequent inquiry would consider detailed and local matters”. Specific provisions would “preclude discussion of matters settled by Parliament’s approval in principle”. The new measures would apply to “projects of national significance”. According to Lean, Ministers are considering applying them to “new airports or major extensions to airports; nuclear and other major waste disposal sites; power stations; major rail lines; major roads; and major minerals sites”. He accepted that the draft plans acknowledge that public inquiries are “an important feature of the democratic process” which help ensure “open and fair” decisions. But notes that they add “such an all-embracing process is slow and costly and damages the economy.”

Tony Burton, deputy director of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, said the plans threatened “the widest change to the ability of the planning system to scrutinise developments since it was established”.

And Charles Secrett, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: “This is control freakery of the worst kind. Any attempt to neuter public inquiries in this way will produce an explosion of environmental protest.”

London Plan

Towards the London Plan: Initial proposals for the Mayor's Spatial Development Strategy. The new draft London Plan, which includes ideas on Energy and Housing, highlights the new environmental imperative to use energy and materials more efficiently and reduce other forms of environmental stress. Produced as a consultation document by the Greater London Authority, it promotes London as a ‘green city, planning for climate change and encouraging more efficient use of natural resources and energy’. Pity then that the GLA’s dramatic new spherical H.Q near Tower Bridge has attracted eco-criticisms.

Wind Planning

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently ruled that a regional press ad by a pressure group against building the Glens of Foudland Wind Farm in northern Scotland had exaggerated the potential effects on house prices, traffic and the environment. The ad by Friends of the Glen of Foudland said local house prices were predicted to collapse, asking rhetorically: “Who wants to live near a wind farm?” It said the development would “destroy” the local environment, cause “traffic chaos” during construction and be of no benefit to the local economy. The ASA said in a statement it found all these claims misleading and ordered the advertisers not to repeat them