Alan Whitehead

Labour Party | Southampton Test

“MAKE IT EASIER TO BE GREEN” SAYS WHITEHEAD

Dr Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test spoke yesterday in the House of Commons on the need for the planning system to be reformed to help householders install renewable energy devices, such as solar panels or small wind turbines on their homes, with minimal local authority interference.

Dr Whitehead was speaking in the Second Reading debate of the Planning Reform Bill which aims to will modernise and speed up the planning system. The Bill will introduce a new single consent regime for major infrastructure, a new ‘community infrastructure levy’ to raise the money needed for local transport and community facilities; and a range of provisions to make planning for housing and commercial development more efficient and more focused on climate change.

Dr Whitehead asked the following question of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government:

Dr. Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab): My right hon. Friend mentions the question of local authority permissions for renewable devices on roofs. As the Bill makes its way through the House, will she ensure that that permission is genuinely widely based and is not constrained by various considerations such as the nature of the protection of the particular zone that a house is in or the way in which the house relates to other properties in the area? Will she ensure that there is a genuinely clear definition that enables renewable devices to be placed on houses without hindrance by local authorities on a variable basis across the country?

The Secretary of State, Hazel Blears, responded as follows:

Hazel Blears: My hon. Friend makes an important point. As the Bill proceeds, we want to ensure that we enable people, wherever possible, to install not just solar panels and wind turbines, but a range of fairly small-scale technologies that can contribute to this agenda. It is very important indeed that we do that. We have to be aware of noise and its impact on neighbours, but by using accredited products, ensuring that we get those that are recognised to be the best and introducing a new helpline for householders to get the right products, I believe that we can make significant progress. In fact, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has estimated that about 250,000 households will want to take up such technology in the years to come. I hope that we see an expansion of such use.

Speaking after the debate, Dr Whitehead added:

“Having experience first-hand the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to install renewable energy devices on my home I am delighted that the government are committed to making it easier for all of us to be greener. I look forward to the progression of this Bill through Parliament.”