Next government urged to improve planning system

The trade body for the waste management sector is urging whoever wins the General Election to put a framework in place to help the country meet its obligations under the Landfill Directive to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill.

And, it is calling for “clear incentives” to help increase the recovery of materials and energy from waste – pointing out that the waste sector is currently the largest source of domestic renewable energy, generating more than onshore wind in 2008.

The ESA also pointed to the importance of the revised Waste Framework Directive, which is set to be implemented in the UK by December 2010, and said it hoped the next government would ensure the “clear and consistent” enforcement of EU law.

An ESA spokesman said: “ESA looks forward to meeting whichever party forms the new administration in May.

“The UK still has to meet its obligations under the Landfill Directive and the next parliament will be crucial not only to meeting the 2013 targets but also putting in place a framework that will enable the industry to develop the infrastructure the UK needs to meet the 2020 target in a timely fashion.

“We will urge the new government to make significant improvements to the planning system to facilitate the introduction of new residual waste infrastructure and to put in place clear incentives to maximise the recovery of materials and energy from the UK's waste stream.”

Chairman

In December, planning reform was highlighted as a priority by incoming ESA chairman Ian Goodfellow, who is also managing director of waste management firm Shanks (see letsrecycle.com story) . At the time, he pointed to the fact that it had caused problems for the sector since his first spell as chairman of the organisation in 2001.

Planning was also last month identified as a risk to meeting the UK's goals under the revised Waste Framework Directive -which sets the ground rules for waste across Europe – in the responses to a consultation on implementing it into UK law (see letsrecycle.com story).

If elected, the Conservatives have vowed to abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which was set up by the Labour government to fast-track projects of national significance, such as energy from waste incinerators and which Labour claims will help drive a low carbon revolution (see letsrecycle.com story). The Conservative Party has pledged to replace it with a democratically accountable system which would also fast-track major projects and favour sustainable development (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Liberal Democrats also want to abolish the IPC and “return decision making, including housing targets, to local people”. They intend to create a third-party right of appeal in cases where planning decisions go against locally agreed plans (see letsrecycle.com story).