Asked by: Lord Newby (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the proposed Planning Bill contains provisions to require the impact of any new infrastructure proposal to be assessed against the ability to achieve the UK's net-zero carbon emissions target.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
National planning policies already recognise the importance of sustainable development, and make clear that reducing carbon emissions should be considered in plan and decision making. The Government is considering how the planning system can further support our commitment to reaching net zero, including through the planning reform programme and the forthcoming Planning Bill. Our response to the Planning for the Future White Paper, setting out next steps on these reforms, will be published in due course.