What Can We Do as a Parish?
Extract from Friends of the Earth Dorset's submission to Dorset Council
Item 12.
Planning
The Council’s role as strategic, mineral and local planning authority is of crucial importance in the implementation of the Climate and Environment Action Plan. We urge that it be used to:
- Support for affordable housing
- Support for job creation, including the key role of the planning and highway authority in securing the development of designated workspace, in a manner described in the recent paper from the DLEP Rural Enterprise Group on ‘Public investment in workspace development’
- Energy efficiency
- Inclusion of energy generation e.g. solar, air & ground heat pumps. Community energy generation schemes should receive planning assistance and support.
- Sustainable building materials
- SUDS for water, sewerage etc.
- Assurance of net environmental gain, including planting to create benign microclimates and to support wildlife
- Inclusion of local facilities – playgrounds, open space, shelters, footpaths etc. (see the full FoE submission)
Planning
The Council’s role as strategic, mineral and local planning authority is of crucial importance in the implementation of the Climate and Environment Action Plan. We urge that it be used to:
- Support the phasing out of fossil fuel production within the county, including a ban on exploration and new extraction
- Promote the supply of renewable energy from geothermal, solar and on-shore wind resources; and from biomass resources including biodegradable waste, provided that a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is confirmed
- Support the provision of charging points for electric vehicles
- Support actions and developments which enable people to live, work, shop etc. locally, with limited travel. This embraces:
- Support for affordable housing
- Support for job creation, including the key role of the planning and highway authority in securing the development of designated workspace, in a manner described in the recent paper from the DLEP Rural Enterprise Group on ‘Public investment in workspace development’
- Through vigorous use of planning powers and building regulations, promote high quality in new housing or other built development, vis-à-vis:
- Energy efficiency
- Inclusion of energy generation e.g. solar, air & ground heat pumps. Community energy generation schemes should receive planning assistance and support.
- Sustainable building materials
- SUDS for water, sewerage etc.
- Assurance of net environmental gain, including planting to create benign microclimates and to support wildlife
- Inclusion of local facilities – playgrounds, open space, shelters, footpaths etc. (see the full FoE submission)