Planning Is the Best Way to Improve the Quality of the Environment Essay

There is no agreed definition of ‘environmental planning’; most studies have had an arduous job in trying to meet a description for it as the environment covers a wide range of issues. In one sense, all Town and Country Planning is concerned with the environment. (Cullingworth & Nadin, 1997, p163) But as the issue of environmental concerns have risen up the political agenda a number of non-planning organisations have had an increasing role to play. It must be noted that the role planning in the environment is not a new instrument in its protection; The Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968 prohibited the emission of dark smoke, in an effort to improve environmental quality. This essay intends to discuss the main instruments use in the contemporary planning system in the UK, which are handed the task of protecting and improving the environment. It begins by briefly outlining the reasons why planning is used for environmental protection and its new role in promoting sustainability. These objectives are highlighted in recent government papers and are explored in the objectives outlined in LA21. The next section reveals how the planning system might be seen as failing these objectives and its shortcomings by a brief comparison with other nations, thus providing conclusions for the suitability of planning as the best way of improving environmental quality. The United Kingdom’s Town and Country Planning system is the framework within which the development and use of land is determined. It provides a structure within which economic, social and environmental considerations can be weighed to help secure sustainable development. (DETR, 1996) Planning has been illustrated as the main advocate in achieving sustainable development; it is placed with the task to guide suitable development within a sustainable context via its development control methods. This seems an obvious choice as the framework within the UK planning system is already in place to successfully implement policy on sustainable development, throughout all levels of government. Traditionally the Town and Country Planning system in the UK has had a pro-development bias, it is argued that in order to improve and maintain the environment, planners have to alter this ethos to accept greener issues. What has always been apparent within the realms of environmental planning is the major role that politics plays. Indeed Britain’s reluctance in environmental concerns was partly due to the conservative regimes of promoting a market-led economy, free of state intervention, it was not until the 1980s that the ‘environment’ rose up the political agenda with the potential of being a major vote winner. Before which, it was argued by Thatcher that environmental planning had be taking place for some years via the planner’s use of material considerations. The Conservative government took a dramatic u-turn and its views on state free from intervention were quashed as it accepted the terms outlined in 1992 Earth Summit. The conference held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted talks for one hundred and fifty nations, it was at this conference where sustainability found a structure, in Agenda 21. The following section discusses the issue of sustainable development and its implementation through Agenda 21, outlining the responsibility of the UK planning regime to enhance and protect the environment. Sustainable Development & Agenda 21 It is argued that the UK Sustainable Development Strategy should be viewed as providing the guiding principles for environmental planning in the UK. Sustainability is seen as one of the main advocates for providing planning policies that protect and provide quality environments throughout the UK. It is certainly true that the issue of sustainability is a concept that surrounds environmental policy. However its large adoption since the resurrection of green issues in the 1960s has lead to is its overuse and ambiguity. The term has become a symbol of environmentalism in contemporary politics. Governments, academics and environmental groups have tried to attain an answer as they continue to commit to sustainable policy. It is hardly surprising that the idea of sustainability has encompassed a number of differing views, one of the most famous ideas is included in the 1987 Brundtland Report: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ’ (as cited in Cullingworth & Nadin, 1997, p164) However the issue of sustainable development became a reality in the creation of Agenda 21, in Rio, 1992. This marked a comprehensive world programme for sustainable development in the twenty-first century, and the adoption of a wide degree of public participation. In the UK this is organised at central and local government levels. The former resulted in the Sustainable Development Strategy of 1994. At the local level, Local Agenda 21 (LA21) calls for each local authority to prepare and adopt a local sustainable development strategy. LA21 provides an opportunity to promote and maintain environmental quality at a level where the public can immediately feel the effects. It is essential that LA21 is a process by which the public can get involved in environmental issues affecting their immediate area, thus educating the population in the concepts of sustainability. LA21 is the process of drawing up and implementing local sustainable development plans, with the local authority working in partnership with citizens, local organisations and businesses to achieve this. (RCEP, 1999, p7) LA21 intentions are not purely environmental; sustainability includes social and economic issues that cover the community as a whole in an effort to build a consensus between people, rather than the traditional, confrontational ways of working. Once goals are sought, progress can be made and evaluated, by measuring progress. However the UK government could be criticised for being a little slow to respond to the issues outlined in Rio, the guidance for local authorities was issued in 1998. It came in the form of the good practice guide on Planning for Sustainable Development, from the DETR. In 1999 Labour introduced a new strategy for sustainable development, entitled A Better Quality of Life, it highlighted four key principles: 1. Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone 2. Protection of the environment 3. Prudent use of natural resources 4. Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment (DETR, 1999) However the guidance has been criticised for its lack of strategic vision, as it sets no quantitative targets or timetables. This is highlighted in the notion that it is a very broad document, as there is a need to secure the approval from other Ministries in order to initiate new policy commitments. (UWE, 2000) Problems of the planning system in protecting the Environment Advisory bodies have promoted the need for target-led planning for a number of years. The term objective-led planning is aimed at broader strategic goals, e. g. Improving air quality, whereas target-led planning relates to more specific goals, e. g. Ozone levels not exceeding a certain concentration over a specified time period, as in the case for the inner London Boroughs. However there is still reluctance by government to set concrete targets in some sectors or areas at national level. They prefer to leave it up to the lower tiers of government, which can often cause considerable strain, e. . Meeting housing targets. However target-led planning is slowly becoming the norm for many local authorities as they implement their plans. They usually involve targets for the protection of sites, air quality, waste recycling etc. Central advice is starting to emerge, referring to the advice outlined in the DETR’s Planning for Sustainable Development: Towards Better Practice, 1998; here it noted that guidance on sustainability should contain specific targets, which could be incorporated into RPGs. It is these relationships between national and local objectives which will need to be observed closely in the near future in order to determine how different interests are integrated in the final production of plans. In many areas, there needs to be a greater range of targets, with clear strategies for their implementation. The problem is that plans remain plans unless they are implemented and with only 30% of all local authorities having theirs in place in 1998, sustainable policy will remain unactioned theory. DETR, 1999a, p2) It is vital that the plans are implemented in order to set realistic targets. Environmental planning in the UK is currently in a period of significant change. This is at all levels and across many issues. The number of plans, strategies, begin produced today is far greater than at any previous period. This is partly the result of extensive criticism over many years from the lack of planning in areas; most of it derives from EU or international developments (80% of all UK environmental policy originated in the EU). Plans have been advocated as being the primary source of reference in determining sustainable objectives that improve the quality of the environment. Environmental plans have subsequently grown considerably from local authorities, government agencies and ad hoc groups, which has brought together different issues. The number of plans should not be seen as a problem, the important issue is whether their development is co-ordinated and to what effect decision-makers implement them. As we near 2002, the next Earth Summit will ask questions of LA21, as the UK councils are getting ready to launch their plans. However work has already begun on Community Plans, which outline strategies for the well being of the local area and its people, again all councils are required to produce these. In aim they’re very like LA21, it is not clear how the two will connect together. In some places the LA21 is acting as the first draft of the Community Plan, which has advantages and disadvantages. In other places completely different teams of officers are developing the Community Plan, and there’s no guarantee of any connection between the two. It seems obvious that the people who took the trouble to have an input into the LA21 process will want to see some action come about as a result. Another concern is that Community Planning doesn’t have the connection to the global picture that LA21 has built in. As environmental issues have become more complex, ways have been sought to measure the impacts of development. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a procedure introduced into the British planning system as a result of an EC Directive. EIA provides a powerful tool for aiding planning decisions; it has highlighted questions on the technical understanding of the environment and the availability of relevant information and skills. EIA needs to be able to subjectively demonstrate its understanding of development with their effects on the environment. The education of planners and access to environmental information is essential in making sense of the answers. Recent studies have shown that the UK does not have the extensive requirements for environmental assessment as some of its European counterparts. Sweden and the Netherlands have quite stringent regulations on the environmental assessment of its planning applications, New Zealand in particular requires all planning applications to have an environmental impact assessment statement. (UWE, 2000) This illustrates the differing views on sustainable objectives; countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands have interpreted it in terms of very specific principles, whereas the UK has applied a plethora of general statements, which incorporate the environment, economic and social dimensions of sustainability. However there is an overall general recognition from European countries towards the need for a more comprehensive view of planning. The importance of planning is perhaps best highlighted by looking at those nations which have a relatively weak framework; the USA system adopts a vary degree of influences, to the extent where it is difficult to identify any particular ethos. Major influences arise from the roles of non-governmental organisations and the US courts. It is worth noting that the USA has been one of the nations who have struggled to attain sustainable objectives. Is the UK planning system the best way to improve the environment? The UK needs to gain a greater understanding of sustainability and environmental protection and the implications for the operation of environmental planning. It seems that there are clear holes in national strategic planning, which have left the decisions to the lower tiers of government. Part of the reason could be the UK’s fairly complicated legislative framework, which perhaps needs to be simplified to allow for greater integration of environmental planning. IEEP, 1999, p60) This rigidness is reflected at all levels, but is particularly noticeable in local government where professional officers now have to understand the large scope of environmental policy, whilst adapting from an ethos of development led planning. Another factor is that senior planning officials may lack the environmental expertise needed to review planning applications. A issue accentuated by the fact most environmental data is presented with in-depth scientific knowledge, planners often have to sub-contract these aspects of an application to environmental experts. This is accentuated by the fact that pressure from central government to reduce the time taken to process planning applications may well conflict with environmental assessment, which invariably is a lengthy process. Criticisms of planners originate from the political nature of their profession. The key principle to maintain is the fact that the final decision rest with Politicians, planners have to remain the professional advisor, therefore the power to govern the land environmental will always remain in the hands of a political advocate. In reflection, planning in the UK has had a range of powerful tools that can effectively govern the environmental implemented in recent years. The main stimulus cannot be attributed to the national government, who have largely been apprehensive if not hostile in their approach to environmental policy. The spread of environmental concern is a direct result of public and international pressure; consequently governments have had to respond. The environment’s direct conflict with development has ensured that action has filter down to planning systems, which can effectively govern and control evelopment. The huge task of ensuring sustainable objectives is thus left to the local authority via the guidance from regional and central government, however the vagueness of which, means that LA21 objectives will vary greatly. This uncertainty has ensured that local sustainable development plans have been slow to be implemented. This is accentuated by the government’s reluctance to establish target-led planning, which could provide a valuable insight on how to tackle sustainable objectives head on. Therefore the issue of planning as the best means to improve environmental quality does represent an insincere statement. Planning is certainly a powerful tool in environmental protection, which is perhaps not being utilised to its fullest extent, but it will always have a heavy political influence. The growth of agencies outside the planning regime such as the Environment Agency can help ensure that environmental quality is maintained.