New network of green experts to help planners - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Hi Patricia I've had a look at the planning renewables website - it’s not the easiest of websites to navigate! Anyway in light of the 'credit crunch' or 'economic downturn', however you like to refer to the financially constrained times most Local Authorities are under at present, the Council I work for have asked one of the DC planning officers to help progress the LDF and work for a period in Forward Plans. I have the pleasure of assuming this role and I am now well underway writing a Climate Change SPD which hopes to provide clear advice and guidance to developers on making development more energy efficient. Given my lack of experience in this field, and within the Council generally, could you tell me whether the planning renewables website would be able to offer some advice on this document? Many thanks Lisa

Lisa Good luck with your SPD, this will be a valuable contribution to the implementation of your LDF. I will forward your request to CSE www.cse.org.uk . Cabe has an inspirationable website at www.sustainablecities.org.uk . There is also help for planners on the EST website, in particular the Nottingham Declaration site www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/nottingham/Nottingham-Declaration/.../Planning-and-Building-Control . PAS feeds back comments to the organisations which offer help to planners and we are developing more on Climate change ourselves. The way Woking works with developers may be a good place to start www.woking.gov.uk/planning/service/energy/factsheet We host part of the CLG Guidance on the PPS1 supplement and will be publishing more case studies later in the year all the best Gillian

Further to the original post above, the expert support network for planners working on renewable energy developments has now been extended for a further six months. Aimed at supporting local authority planning officers in both forward planning and development management the intention of the service is to provide advice, information and guidance on specific issues relating to planners' work through a network of renewable energy specialists. From the start of August, planners are able to submit their queries through the Planning Renewables website (see: www.planningrenewables.org.uk/expertsupportnetwork). These will then be assessed and, for those that are suitable, free support of up to one-day’s worth of an expert's time will be offered to deal with complex queries requiring in-depth research, clarification and response. Typically, this is delivered via telephone and e-mail. Where queries are less complex, or are variations on ones that have been dealt with already, the option of a half-day's or a few hours' worth of support is also available. The expert support network is managed by CSE with funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and is run in association with DECC and the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG).