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Government Activity

This section of the website lists the latest initiatives and regulatory changes on sustainability issues coming from Government Departments.

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Policy

Latest Policy Documents
Environmental Liability Directive becomes law (27/02/2009)
The Environmental Liability Directive, which seeks to achieve the prevention and remedying of environmental damage, came into force on 01 March 2009. Under the law, interested parties can inform the Environment Agency if they fear development work could cause contamination on site or in the surrounding area. The directive also extends the ‘polluter pays’ principle by making bodies responsible for remediating contamination on neighbouring sites as well as their own. The European Commission is to review the legislation in two years. The directive identifies three types of environmental damage: soil, water and natural conservation areas, however only contamination occurring after 01 March 2009 will be covered by the legislation. The Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009 will implement the directive in England and the legislation will also eventually be implemented in Wales.
> Web link
Government grants £12 million for regeneration in coastal resorts (19/01/2009)
The Government’s Sea Change programme, announced in November 2007 and running from 2008 to 2011, funds seaside resorts with £15 million each year. The programme is led by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) working with the Regional Development Agencies, English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund. The Government has announced that Southport, Great Yarmouth, Bridlington and Hastings are to benefit from £12 million under the programme, which aims to boost regeneration in coastal areas through investment in culture and heritage. Barbara Follett, the Culture and Tourism minister said that it is important to continue to invest in the regeneration and renewal of the UK’s seaside resorts in order to ensure that new visitors and business opportunities continue to be attracted to the area.
> Web link
Pilot of Local Sustainable Development Lens (17/11/2008)
A Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) report has proposed the development of a voluntary basket of local indicators that can be used to guide and track progress towards sustainable development (the Local Sustainable Development Lens). CAG Consultants have been asked by the SDC to pilot the Lens with four of the Comprehensive Area Assessment pilot authorities. The report recommends that the development of the Lens should now proceed to wider discussion with local authority sustainable development and performance management officers. The report calls for an interactive Lens tool to be linked with the Data Interchange Hub and should be online, simple to use, and enable local authorities (and other users) to obtain information on all the Lens indicators, and provide information on those which they are responsible for collecting. It should provide a report on local progress towards sustainability which takes an integrated approach and possibly includes some indicators of integration.
> Web link

Older Policy Documents

(Hover over the title to view a brief summary of the document)
APUDG debates effect of economic crisis on sustainability agenda (10/11/2008) > Web link
‘Zero Waste Places’ announced (21/10/2008) > Web link
New regional sustainable strategy announced for the North West (06/10/2008) > Web link
Government Announces Department For Energy and Climate Change (06/10/2008) > Web link
Business Rates and Carbon Footprints (04/09/2008) > Web link
Housing Package Regeneration (02/09/2008) > Web link
Plastic bags reduction targets (28/07/2008) > Web link
A guide to reducing emissions from transport (18/07/2008) > Web link
A guide to air-conditioning inspections for buildings (10/07/2008) > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning (04/06/2008) > Web link
Building Sustainable Transport into New Developments (03/04/2008) > Web link
Budget 2008 (12/03/2008) > Web link
Plastic Bags (12/03/2008) > Web link
New Water Strategy (07/02/2008) > Web link
Water Efficiency in New Buildings: joint Defra and Communities and Local Government policy statement (23/07/2007) > Web link
National Climate Change Policy Division (NCCP) > Web link
Construction Sector Unit > Web link
Delivering a Sustainable Railway White Paper > Web link
Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management > Web link
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) > Web link
Global Opportunities Fund – Climate Change and Energy > Web link
Global Opportunities Fund – Sustainable Development > Web link
Energy White Paper > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 23: Planning and Pollution Control > Web link
Planning Policy Statement 1, Delivering Sustainable Development > Web link