Planners Must Deliver For The Environment (ODPM News - calling Lord B)

[Marc]

Does this mean anything to us (Lord B or anyone in the know) regarding our application for Falmer? Seems to be leaning towards Planners needing to have strong environment backing or something, abit over my head so asking:

http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2004_0176

Blurb:

Environmental impact must be a key consideration in the preparation and adoption of development plans and programmes across the UK - assisting in the delivery of the Government's sustainable development strategy.


Regulations on the EC ‘Strategic Environment Assessment’ (SEA) Directive, which come into force today, mean that authorities have an obligation to consider the environmental effect of a wide range of plans and programmes. These include those prepared for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy, industry, transport, waste management, telecommunications, tourism, and town and country planning and land use.

Authorities preparing plans or programmes will be required to produce reports on the likely significant environmental impact, consult environmental bodies and the public, and take the results into account. They will also need to monitor the effects of their plans on the environment.

Welcoming the SEA Directive, Planning Minister Keith Hill said:

"This is an important step in planning and environmental law. It will help us to deliver the Government's sustainable development strategy which takes account of environmental, social and economic interests."

The SEA Directive regulations are being accompanied by the publication of a practical guide on how to comply with the new requirements, entitled 'A Draft Practical Guide to the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive'.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

There has been a requirement for some time to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of the planning process for major developments.

The EIA for Falmer was considered at length at the public inquiry.

What the SEA Directive does is provide a Europe-wide basis for this requirement. Today's new regulations incorporate this into UK planning law. The new Guidance effectively updates previous government guidance.

Nothing very significant. It's taken eight years to develop the new arrangements, starting with the European Commission's proposal in 1996 and moving through the European Parliament, the European Council of Environment Ministers, back to the Parliament and finally back to the European Commission. The final version was approved by the European Parliament in May 2001 and was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 5 June 2001.

Amazingly, the longest part of the process was the time between the Directive being adopted and the UK government getting round to issuing UK regulations. And we complain about the delays being "in Brussels".

 

[Marc]

Cool, thanks for clearing that up Lord B, as ever the voice of everything