Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is going to investigate whether present arrangements for environmental planning are capable of achieving environmental policy objectives. This will involve looking at the current land use planning system, at other relevant legislation and procedures, and at the interactions between them. The aim is to produce a report by the end of 2000.

The use of land is linked to environmental change on many different scales, and is increasingly implicated in strategies for sustainable development. Changes in land use are regulated through the development control system under Town and Country Planning legislation, but land use is also influenced by other policies and other statutory and non-statutory arrangements. Equally, the success of policies in such fields as transport, energy, water and nature conservation depends to a significant extent on decisions about land use.

The interrelationship between measures to combat pollution and the system of statutory land use plans under the Town and Country Planning Acts has long been recognised. It formed a major theme of the Commission's Fifth Report, published in 1976. Since then, the land use planning system has changed significantly. It is continuing to evolve in response to new pressures. There are indications of problems arising, or missed opportunities, at some of the interfaces. It is not clear whether the present combination of procedures is adequate to bring about sustainable development.

In inquiring into this subject, the Royal Commission intends to consider a broad range of relevant topics, including how democratic control and people's values influence decisions, potential conflicts between national environmental strategies and local interests, whether there are gaps or duplications in the current arrangements, and the robustness of present arrangements in the face of trends such as climate change.

In the first phase of the new study the Royal Commission will concentrate on identifying more specific issues for investigation. In the second phase, beginning early next year, it will invite evidence on the issues it has identified. To help select the key issues, it is consulting widely, and anyone who wishes to propose specific issues for investigation is invited to bring these to the Commission's attention.

Information about the progress of the new study will be available on the Commission's web site at:

http://www.rcep.org.uk/planning.html

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body. Its terms of reference are to advise on matters, both national and international, concerning the pollution of the environment; the adequacy of research in this field; and the future possibilities of danger to the environment. The Chairman is Sir Tom Blundell FRS. Members of the Commission are appointed by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve part time.

The study of environmental planning announced today will overlap with the Royal Commission's current study of energy and the environment, now nearing completion. This is considering the implications of considerably reducing, by the middle of the next century, use of fossil fuels as an energy source in the UK.

The new study will draw, where appropriate, on conclusions reached in the energy study, and on previous Royal Commission reports, including those on Setting Environmental Standards (1998), The Sustainable Use of Soil (1996), Freshwater Quality (1992), transport, and integrated pollution control.

The contacts for all enquiries about this announcement, or about the new study, are:

(until 16 August) Rosemary Ferguson (Tel 0171 273 6637)

(from 17 August) John Rea, Assistant Secretary to the Commission (Tel 0171 273 6642)

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