Yesterday’s ‘well attended’ Green Café featured a number of interesting discussions, which were capped with a talk by Sandy Tod from our Energy Group about the potential for local renewable energy projects. During the exchanges he referred to the prime minister’s recent announcement when he pledged that offshore wind farms will generate enough electricity to power every home in the UK within a decade. Mr Johnson said the government was raising its target for offshore wind power capacity by 2030 from 30 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts. Sandy had a number of concerns about the proposals, which he intended to put into a letter to the Craven Herald and below is a copy which he has just sent to the local paper.
Continue reading “Are the PM’s wind power plans just hot air?”
Government changes to planning laws face serious criticisms
Thursday’s debate in the Commons on Thursday about the government’s plans to centralise and accelerate the housebuilding process in England shows that they are going to face serious problems in getting their measures passed by their own supporters.
The debate which lasted just under three hours was organised by Conservative MP, Bob Seely, who introduced his non-binding motion on the Government which called “…on the Government to delay any planned implementation of the changes to the standard method for assessing local housing need proposed by the Government’s consultation, Changes to the Current Planning System, published on 6 August 2020, and Proposal 4 of the Government’s consultation, Planning for the Future, on a standard method for establishing housing requirement, until this House has had the opportunity to hold a debate and meaningful vote on their introduction.”
Continue reading “Government changes to planning laws face serious criticisms”
The biggest shake-up of planning rules for decades – make your voice heard
We’ve just heard from the CPRE, the Countryside Charity, that MPs will be debating the government’s damaging proposals to deregulate planning on the morning of Thursday 8 October. Events are moving fasts, so we need to be quick to react to opportunities like this. This debate is the perfect chance to put ministers on the spot and show them just how serious opposition to these damaging measures are.
Please email Julian Smith MP now with your concerns and ask him to attend the debate. He can be contacted at: julian.smith.mp@parliament.uk His office ‘phone number is 0207 219 7145.
The government is on shaky ground with this proposed legislation, the biggest shake-up of planning for decades. Almost 40,000 people have signed the CPRE petition opposing the damaging proposals, which will weaken democratic involvement in local planning matters by giving developers automatic planning permission for some types of work. Thousands more have emailed MPs, so don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard.
England’s national parks fail to fight climate and nature crisis says report
National Parks are failing to step up to the climate change crisis according to a report launched today (2 October) and supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Overall woodland cover across all national parks in England is less than 15% and several of England’s most iconic national parks (including the Yorkshire Dales) have lower woodland cover than our large cities.
Mapping by Friends of the Earth shows some national parks could have up to seven times more woodland than they currently do while important habitats, such as peatbogs, were found to be in worse condition in national parks than in the rest of England.
Continue reading “England’s national parks fail to fight climate and nature crisis says report”
