Don't scrap green housing rule, urge campaigners

Ashley Seager
Guardian Unlimited
Friday August 24 2007

A coalition of renewable energy and green groups yesterday urged the government not to scrap a key plank of local authority policy that has been credited with boosting the use of renewable energy. The call came after the leak earlier this week of a draft planning policy statement which local authorities said would undermine their ability to insist that developers use green technologies.

The Home Builders Federation and British Property Federation oppose the so-called "Merton rule", which requires builders to obtain at least 10% of a building's energy from sustainable sources such as solar or wind power. Sustainable Energy Partnership organiser Ron Bailey said: "The current campaign by the British Property Federation and Home Builders Federation to overturn this modest yet proven and highly successful policy in the climate change policy planning statement is nothing short of scandalous bearing in mind the urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions."

Until recently the Department for Communities and Local Government approved of the Merton rule, launched by the London Borough of Merton and since used by 150 councils. The Greater London Authority stipulates that 20% of energy in new buildings must come from renewables. Housing minister Yvette Cooper had wanted the rule rolled out nationwide. But the new policy draft appears to make it much more difficult for councils to force the pace on renewables, with the Merton rule applying only to specific sites with use of renewables having to be notified years in advance.

In response to the Guardian's story on Monday that the communities department was considering watering down the Merton rule, the British Property Federation said: "The BPF has backed government plans to scrap the Merton rule because investing in inefficient on-site renewable energy sources is simply not the best way to reduce carbon emissions."

A government spokesperson said: "While we do not comment on leaked documents, we simply do not recognise these claims." But Merton council deputy leader Samantha George has written to Ms Cooper urging her to continue to let councils continue to push renewables at local level. Andrew Warren, chairman of the Sustainable Energy Partnership, said: "We'd expect ministers to be embracing the Merton rule ... not falling for the current developer campaign of misrepresentation and skulduggery."