Making it happen

Print this page

Planning policy cannot be the sole route to a low carbon economy.  By utilising their full range of powers and responsibilities, local authorities will be better placed to deliver energy projects that serve both new and existing developments. They include:

• The Community Infrastructure Levy, which empowers local authorities to levy a charge on new development.  Developer contributions can be pooled to fund community energy infrastructure
• Local Development Orders (LDO) remove the need for a planning application to be made for a specific technology or site. They could be used to designate areas where particular opportunities have been identified for energy technologies
• Powers of Wellbeing, introduced by the Local Government Act 2000, which allows public sector participation in special purpose vehicles to deliver sustainable energy services (such as ESCOs), and co-ordinate investment
• Ability to agree lower land receipts from developers in return for improved energy standards
• Procurement decisions. Local authorities have significant influence through their own spending.
• Local authority initiatives such as affordable warmth programmes and those aimed at influencing behaviour
• Corporate strategies for development and investment by local strategic partners, including in health and education

www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localcommunity/wellbeingpower/

Enabling mechanisms are needed to support the implementation of policies and targets in relation to decentralised renewable and low carbon energy provision. These include:

• Planning gains and land sales: The benefits of community energy resources should be valued in bidding processes for public sector land
• Partnerships for innovation: Public private partnerships play a potentially vital role. By working together there is a greater capacity to innovate and take risk
• Property investment policies: CO₂ reduction policies and pro-active selection of development partners can help deliver low carbon developments
• Energy Services Companies (ESCOs): These can help lever the long term investment required to achieve a step change in the performance of new settlements
• Grant funding, including grants offered by central Government, local authorities and other funding bodies

More information on other enabling mechanisms including partnerships, property investment, energy service companies and wider community engagement is available here: 

• www.chpa.co.uk/news/reports_pubs/Community%20Energy-%20Urban%20Planning%20For%20A%20Low%20Carbon%20Future.pdf
• www.fey.org.uk/site/EnergyServices/ESCos/LADeliveryFramework/tabid/319/language/en-GB/Default.aspx
• www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/energy/partnership-steering-group/docs/making-escos-work.pdf

Community engagement is important to achieve a wider acceptance of the need for action on climate change. This may inform the development of the Sustainable Communities Strategy (see local level plan-making).

It is important to:

• Build acceptance for projects
• Harness demand for local action to tackle climate change
• Directly engage consumers in low carbon energy generation
• Ensure projects are well-governed
• Capture the wider social and economic benefits of low carbon energy generation

Ultimately, the local community should be involved in the delivery of decentralised energy. Local Strategic Partnerships are an excellent opportunity to bring together the public, private, social enterprise and voluntary sectors to tackle climate change. 

• www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/page.asp?id=531

See engaging people.