The UK Green Building Council has added its voice to calls for a more flexible ‘Merton Plus’ approach to planning to increase take-up of renewable energy in new building developments. The London Borough of Merton was the first local authority to set a target for all non-residential developments above a threshold of 1,000 m2 to incorporate at least 10% of their energy needs from renewable energy equipment. The ‘Merton rule’, as it has become known, has grown in popularity, with more than 80 other local authorities following suit. However, as a recent Trade & Industry Select Committee report noted, “this still leaves around 330 local authorities that have not set targets”.

At the beginning of October, Planning and Housing minister Yvette Cooper was forced to clarify her department’s policy on the Rule amid rumours that it was about to lose Government support. She said area-specific targets should be set for locations where higher proportions of renewable and low carbon energy are feasible and viable.

Yvette Cooper also emphasised the need for this local approach to be set out in a development plan document - and not as a supplementary planning document - so that it could be examined by an independent planning inspector. She was anxious to make sure the Merton Rule was not used by councils to deter or delay development.

She said: “Our ‘Merton-plus’ approach will be challenging to councils and developers alike but I believe it will allow us to move to a zero carbon culture.”

Paul King, chief executive of the UK-GBC, speaking at a conference organised by the Council on the Merton Rule, agreed that there was an urgent need to cut carbon dioxide emissions and that Government, at both local and national level, should focus on this outcome.

He was speaking after a debate on the rule’s future at a Council conference on the issue which has bitterly divided the property industry, which wants flexible delivery of carbon savings and environmentalists who support councils’ rights to demand renewable energy be generated on site.

A strong case had been made for local standard setting and innovation, he said and, it was clear that we will only achieve zero carbon new build (by 2016 in the domestic sector) if local cases are used as test beds for going further, faster.