A new report is warning that the majority of new local plans in England are failing to cut carbon emissions and to plan for the scale of severe weather predicted over future years. The report Planning for the Climate Challenge? Understanding the performance of English Local Plans, which examined the most recently prepared plans in England, found that 70% had no carbon reduction targets or any way of monitoring their progress with carbon reduction. The study underpinning the report explored how local plans published since the National Planning Policy Framework was produced in 2012 are addressing climate change. Drawing on a sample of 64 local planning authorities in total, and based on an analysis of local planning documents, a survey of local authority planners and four more-detailed, area-based case study examinations, the study established the extent to which climate change mitigation and adaptation are reflected as priorities in local plan policy in England.
The report found that evidence-gathering, methodologies and policy-making used to address flood risk were far more sophisticated than the equivalent for climate mitigation or any other aspect of adaptation. However, while plans did reflect current flood risk, they were generally poor at dealing with future climate impacts such as sea level rise and increased surface water flooding. The report says:
“The review of the implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), to which the Government is committed, should focus on providing a clear indication of the current level of SuDS delivery and the split between ‘normal’ SuDS and ‘green’ SuDS.”
The report also says:
“The dynamic nature of flood risk, in particular surface water flooding, was not always reflected across the different stages of plan preparation. The document analysis revealed that local planning policy on flooding complied with the national framework; however, individual officers in the case study areas said that local plans did not fully reflect local understanding of flood risk, especially the risk from surface water.”
In particular, interviewees highlighted that:
‘There are multiple agencies involved in flooding, and it is a challenge that flooding is divided up into fluvial, surface water and drainage, etc.’
Click here to download the full report, Planning for the Climate Challenge? Understanding the performance of English Local Plans