COP26: How planning changes can help net zero goal – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Paul Miner, Head of Land Use and Planning, CPRE.
By YP Letters
Published 1st Nov 2021, 16:29 BST
Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites as part of Britain's net zero challenge?Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites as part of Britain's net zero challenge?
Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites as part of Britain's net zero challenge?

THE planning system is one of the most powerful levers the Government can pull to tackle climate breakdown. The fact that local councils aren’t being supported screams inaction when we have no time to spare.

COP26: Our moral duty to save the planet we call home – The Yorkshire Post says

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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.

Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites, like this location in York, as part of Britain's net zero challenge?Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites, like this location in York, as part of Britain's net zero challenge?
Should there be greater emphasis on the redevelopment of brownfield sites, like this location in York, as part of Britain's net zero challenge?

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 in the heart of communities where housing is most needed, while at the same time retaining and reusing the embodied carbon.

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Related topics:PlanningCOP26Yorkshire PostCPREGovernment

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