Dear member of the Greenprint Forum,
We are aware of some current consultations, two from East Suffolk Council, one from Ipswich Borough Council, and four from Central Government, that may be of interest to you or others in your own networks, please feel free to share onwards as you deem appropriate:
Neighbourhood Plan Guidance – Draft Documents
East Suffolk Council are developing two guidance documents for neighbourhood planning groups to assist them in producing planning policies when producing or reviewing neighbourhood plans, one related to climate change, and the other related to housing, and are consulting for feedback on the draft of each of the two documents. Each consultation seeks views on the proposed content of the document. The questionnaires include questions on each of the sections of the guidance, followed by questions about whether any topics have been missed, and whether any additional glossary entries, case studies or external links would be helpful to include.
Deadline for responses to consultations on both documents: 12 March 2025.
Climate change: Neighbourhood Plan Guidance for Climate Change – East Suffolk Council, Strategic Planning Consultations
Housing: Neighbourhood Plan Guidance for Housing – East Suffolk Council, Strategic Planning Consultations
Ipswich Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan
Ipswich Borough Council is consulting on their draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan the purpose of which is to encourage more travel around Ipswich by means of walking, cycling, and wheeling. Deadline 6 March.
Ipswich Borough Council Draft Ipswich Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan | ipswich.gov.uk
Reform of planning for critical infrastructure projects
The Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government have published a Planning Reform Working Paper “Streamlining Infrastructure Planning” and are inviting views on how the Government could reform the process for consenting Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP). The Planning Reform Working Paper “proposes a number of measures that could be taken to streamline the consenting process for national infrastructure and to enable faster decision-making, whilst ensuring the process is fair and certain”.
There is no formal deadline.
Planning Reform Working Paper: Streamlining Infrastructure Planning – GOV.UK
Consultation on Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings Regime
The Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government are consulting on proposals to reform the Energy Performance of Buildings Regime in five critical areas: updating EPC metrics, refining requirements for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs), improving data management protocols, strengthening quality control, and revising Air Conditioning Inspection Reports (ACIRs).
Deadline: 26 February 2025.
Consultation on proposals to improve energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes
The Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government are consulting on proposals to raise the minimum energy efficiency standard required of privately rented homes in England and Wales to the equivalent of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C by 2030. Deadline 2 May.
Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update – GOV.UK
Defra Land Use Consultation
Defra are launching “a national conversation about land use, to minimise trade-offs and optimise the use of our land” in advance of publishing a “Land Use Framework” and are consulting on their vision and how to deliver it. Deadline 25 April.
Land Use Consultation – Defra – Citizen Space
Regards
Daniel
Daniel Wareing | Environmental Sustainability Officer
East Suffolk Council
07769 366953
