News review
Sustainable Community
Sustainable Energy
Barker orders “crack down” on
inappropriate solar PV sites
Energy Minister demands stricter adherence to planning guidelines
By Chris Edwards
E
nergy Minister Greg
Barker has written to
every local authority in
England and Wales warning
them to give planning consent
for solar PV installations only if
they are “sensitively placed”.
In the letters, Mr Barker spells out
DECC’s ambitions for solar, which
he describes as one of the “priority
renewable energy technologies”,
but says he is “determined to crack
down” on planning approval that
does not follow the latest guidelines.
“Inappropriately sited solar PV is
something that I take extremely
seriously,” the Minister explained.
“A full Solar PV Strategy will be
published in spring 2014 but in the
meantime we will continue to
closely monitor solar PV to assess
whether additional measures are
needed to ensure that is deployed
with the vision I have set out.”
He highlighted Department for
Communities and Local Government
(DCLG) guidance published in July,
which advised local planning of?cials
of considerations, including:
• The planning concerns of local
communities should be properly
heard if they are directly affected
• The need for renewable energy
does not automatically override
environmental protections
• Heritage assets must be conserved
in a manner appropriate to their
signi?cance, including any views
important to their setting
Ironically, DCLG has recently
concluded a consultation exercise to
reform and relax planning rules for
onshore oil and gas operations,
including a proposal to remove the
duty to notify people under whose
land developers propose to drill.
Sustainable Business
OAK ACTION
Guests of an Ambleside holiday
park are being sent home with
acorns as part of plans to
counter the threat from the
disease known as “sudden oak
death”. Skelwith Fold Caravan
Park hopes they will be planted
by holidaymakers to provide
healthy new saplings if the
fungus-like invader hits Cumbria.
The acorns are being gathered
from some of the many mature
oaks that populate the 130-acre
wooded park. If the worst should
happen, the park says it will offer
guests who planted the acorns a
free two-night stay if they return
with the saplings.
Hydropower
provides
energy to
new £11.5m
bus station
By GreenWeek staff
Rochdale’s new £11.5m bus
station has become Europe’s
?rst transport interchange to
have an integrated hydropower
source, thanks to an innovative
hydroelectric plant part-funded
by the Ticket to Kyoto carbon
reduction investment project.
The scheme, part-funded by the
Department for Transport and built
by Kier Construction, is part of the
wider £250m redevelopment of
Rochdale town centre, which
includes the construction of the
new Metrolink line and a £100m
new retail and leisure development.
Councillor Andrew Fender,
Chair of the Transport for Greater
Manchester Committee, said: “I am
delighted that we have completed
this innovative and hugely
signi?cant project that will provide
a fantastic, modern gateway for the
town centre and a European ?rst,
thanks to its hydropower plant.”
Minister of State for Transport
Baroness Kramer said: “I am
pleased the Department for
Transport has been able to support
this scheme. It will make bus travel
more attractive in Rochdale,
promoting growth and cutting
carbon. Redevelopment of the
existing bus station site is
expected to bring some 1,500
new jobs into the town.”
Sustainable Living
Increase in Green Deal Plans still painfully slow
By Jack Allen
A total of 1,173 households had
Green Deal Plans in progress at
the end of October compared
to 954 by the end of September,
according to the latest report
from DECC.
However, there are still only
219 ‘live’ Green Deal Plans
reported up to the end of
October having installed at
least one measure in each
property. The total number of
measures installed using Green
Deal ?nance was 481.
Boilers accounted for 37% of
measures installed using Green
Deal ?nance, photovoltaics
were 16% of all measures,
heating controls were 15% and
solid wall insulation was 14%.
The report released this week
presents the latest statistics up
to the end of October on the
Green Deal (GD) and to the end
of September on the Energy
Company Obligation (ECO).
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