The Government must not shatter the peace and tranquility of the countryside in its drive to build homes and energy infrastructure - Baroness McIntosh

In exploring the impact of housebuilding and energy proposals for more onshore wind farms, I urge a degree of caution.

As a newly elected MP for the Vale of York in 1997, I was faced with Labour’s plan to build a second line of pylons down the spine of the constituency, transporting electricity all the way from Middlesbrough, across North Yorkshire connecting with the national grid to serve the south of England. This attracted public outrage.

Power lines should be placed underground or alternatively, electricity generated from renewables should serve those closest to the source of the power generated, removing the need for costly overhead line transmission. The local demand for heating domestic homes and charging electric vehicles should be met before the energy is exported elsewhere.

If we have learnt anything from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it must be the need to ensure the integrity of our supply chains, to increase food security and self-sufficiency. Plans for clean energy would take ten per cent of farmland and an equal proportion of fisheries out of production

Against this background, I see an urgent need for rural proofing, to assess what the impact of policy in draft legislation would be on rural areas. Currently, several government proposals would have detrimental impacts on the countryside and rural communities, yet the planning decisions are to be streamlined, curtailing the power to object, limiting judicial review while broadening the compulsory purchase powers.

A percentage of energy is lost in overhead line transmission, which is vulnerable to extreme weather. During Storm Arwen, power was lost in the north-east of England and North Yorkshire for up to nine days.

The Government should revise the National Planning Policy Framework and planning practice guidance to ensure joined-up planning applications so that the siting of substations, overhead power lines and pylons, be considered as part of the original planning application for offshore and onshore wind farms, not as now treated as separate applications.

Labour has rightly prioritised cleaning up the rivers and waterways of sewage, but the problem of sewage in rivers and sea starts with the mass building of four and five-bedroom houses in inappropriate places so that in times of floods, the raw sewage mixes with rainwater, entering the combined sewers, with devastating consequences. New homes must be resilient and not contribute to future flood events.

The Government should pledge to end the automatic right to connect, promised since Sir Michael Pitt’s review after the 2007 floods and commit today to implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Introducing mandatory sustainable drainage systems for all new housing development is a single measure that would help to prevent sewage overflow into the combined sewers and, from there, into our rivers and seas.

Defra must make water companies statutory consultees in the planning application process. Where it is impossible to connect sewage safely to existing, inadequate pipes, which are often antiquated and from the Victorian era, the developers must pay to make the connections.

The Government policy of building on functional flood plains is not clear. In opposition, Labour, supported an amendment to the then Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill to prevent building on functional flood plains. Will the Government now honour that commitment? Will they provide resources to local authorities to undertake the essential mapping exercise to establish which potential new developments fall within zone 3b, the most vulnerable to flooding, to exclude them from major developments? This is essential to prevent future floods.

There are specific needs for housing in rural areas for one or two-bedroom homes that are affordable. Initiatives such as a rural exception and making a planning passport for all exception sites would help to deliver these.

The Government has pledged to grow the economy through reforming the planning system, but those living in rural communities must resist this onslaught on the very fabric of the countryside. The value of home ownership and the fact that it is local planning authorities who are best placed to take planning decisions must not be overlooked.

A radical plan to tackle the number of houses proposed is to reverse the VAT imposed on renovating houses which could be made more habitable and impose the 20 per cent VAT on new builds. VAT is acting as a perverse incentive to build new rather than renovate existing homes. That should change.

We must value farming, the countryside and rural communities. We need a sustainable, affordable supply of housing, resilient to floods and other extreme weather events, with appropriate sources of energy. To this end, the Government must reach a balance between the needs of a modern economy while permitting rural dwellers to enjoy the benefits and tranquillity of the countryside. There is the opportunity to achieve this in the current planning legislation passing through Parliament. It must not be squandered.

Baroness Anne McIntosh is a member of the House of Lords.