New guide to low carbon development published by government partnership

Low Carbon Development - An Introductory Guide for Planners and Councillors' has been published by a partnership including Government Office for the East of England, Inspire East, Academy for Sustainable Communities and the Buildings Research Establishment.

To help tackle emissions from the built environment, partners in the region identified the need for a short introductory guide to low and zero carbon development for planners and local authority councillors. Government Office for the East of England (GO-East), Inspire East and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) have worked with the Buildings Research Establishment (BRE) to prepare this guide to focus on future development and to assist local authority planners and councillors in the region by providing an introduction to:

• the direction of climate change policy emerging from the Government, in particular policy related to spatial planning
• issues to consider in the development of local spatial planning policy in line with the Planning and Climate Change Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1 (2007)
• how local spatial planning can complement and support the Building Regulation system and the delivery of national targets, particularly those relating to zero carbon homes by 2016
• how to implement planning policies through working with developers
• how councillors can support implementation in their local authorities and ensure their authority leads the community by example.

The guide is intended to complement existing and emerging Government policy and guidance. Full versions of the policies referred to can be accessed via the website links and addresses in the guide.