Four steps to Devon

By PRSD, on Saturday, April 29, 2006

Three steps to heaven, pah, just one more and you’ll be singing hallelujah round the renewable fire, according to Regen SW.

Each one of these steps is intended to make energy policy more local, because we know local councils make such good decisions nearly all the time.

So here they are, and oh, of course we here at the People’s Republic of South Devon feel that we have at least played a small part in forming these suggestions.

1. Allow local authorities to require zero carbon buildings in new
development. Without this measure the construction of new buildings in
the region will result in the contribution of over 700,000 tonnes of
carbon dioxide a year by 2020. In the South West there are large new
settlements being developed that are unlikely to have any renewable
energy content because it takes so long to embed new requirements in
planning documents, and because the renewables requirement is not
mandatory.

2. Require every District Council to set its own renewable electricity
target.

In the last three years District Councils in the South West have given
planning permission for one major renewable electricity scheme and
rejected eleven schemes. We believe that each district and unitary
planning authority should be required to adopt its own renewable
electricity target, and to develop a delivery plan to meet these
targets.

3. Give local and regional authorities the ability to take
responsibility for reducing carbon emissions. The South West has the
highest environmental footprint for its energy use of any UK region and
emissions continue to rise. The dispersed nature of many carbon
emissions, from homes, cars and offices means that local influences can
have a significant impact on climate change, both in increasing or in
reducing fossil fuel use. Therefore, local and regional government need
to be given greater responsibility for carbon management.

4. Create a financial incentive for the use of renewable energy for
local heat needs. Gas is expensive and is not available for 400,000
homes in the South West. Government should commit to reducing the UK's
dependency on gas and oil for heating and create a financial mechanism
to encourage uptake of renewable heat technology.

Posted by Cptn