News & Publications - Property
SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ELECTION
10th Mar 2010
Patrick Brown of the British Property Federation has produced a comparison of the three main political parties’ positions on sustainability issues. Please find the comparison below:
GENERAL ELECTION BRIEFING
MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES' RESPECTIVE POSITIONS ON SUSTAINABILITY
EMISSIONS REDUCTION TARGETS
Labour
- Overall reductions in carbon emissions of 80% by 2050
- All new homes zero carbon by 2016
Conservatives
- Will honour commitment to 80% reduction in overall emissions by 2050
- 10% cut in central Government emissions within 12 months by working with local authorities and others to deliver emissions reductions (Labour committed at Budget 2010 to reduce overall emissions from estate by 30% by 2020)
- Emissions performance standard to limit the levels of greenhouse gases power stations produce
Liberal Democrats
- Move to an EU Emissions Reduction Target of 30% by 2020 and expand investment in clean energy technology innovation within Europe and internationally
- UK 30% energy efficiency improvement target for 2020 and commitment for Government to the goals of the 10:10 campaign as a first step
- Boost investment in clean energy by reforming the EU Emissions Trading System and tightening emissions caps
Renewable Energy and Energy Policy
Labour
- 40% of electricity from low carbon sources by 2020 (including nuclear)
- 15% of energy demand from renewables by 2020
- Feed-in tariffs and renewable heat incentive
- Four ‘clean coal’ carbon capture and storage plants
Conservatives
- Decarbonisation of the electricity grid
- Permitting nuclear power stations, so long as they receive no public subsidy
- Four carbon capture and storage plants (unclear how whether these are additional to the ones the - Labour Government has committed to)
- Delivery of an offshore electricity grid
- Giving local authorities the power to establish new district heating networks which use biogas and other low carbon fuels
- Giving incentives for smaller-scale energy generation, including capturing heat that is currently wasted (commitment to continue Labour Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive/Feed-in Tariffs?)
- Annual Energy Statement to Parliament to set a clear direction for energy policy, accompanied by restructuring of Ofgem’s remit (unclear what will become of the Labour Government’s review of the energy market mentioned at Pre-Budget 2009 and the promised consultation on mechanisms to support carbon pricing in long-term roll-out of renewables). Consumer protection powers of Ofgem to be transferred to Office of Fair Trading
Liberal Democrats
- Target of 40% of UK electricity to come from non-carbon-emitting sources by 2020, rising to 100 per cent by 2050, underpinned by guaranteed price support. 75% of this renewable energy to come from marine and offshore sources. A roadmap will set the pathway for investment in electricity networks, grid access and the development of new incentives for renewable heat. Improvements to the grid to facilitate better connection to renewable energy sources and sub-sea connections to create a European ‘supergrid’
- Feed-in tariffs for micro-generation at a higher rate than offered under the current scheme put forward by the previous Labour Government
Encourage community-owned renewable energy schemes where local people benefit from the power produced
- £400m for refurbishing shipyards in the North of England and Scotland to facilitate manufacture of offshore wind turbines and marine energy equipment
- Block any new coal fired power stations, unless accompanied by highest level of carbon capture and storage facilities
- Reject a new generation of nuclear power stations (assert that they are a more expensive way of reducing carbon emissions than energy conservation and renewable energy)
Energy Efficiency
Labour
- Insulation – free loft and cavity wall insulation for homes where practical by 2015
- Smart meter in every home by 2020
- Eco-upgrade for 7m homes
- Legislation to introduce ‘pay as you save’ financing schemes for energy efficiency improvements
Conservatives
- A ‘Green Deal’ giving every home up to £6,500 worth of energy improvement measures, with more for hard-to-treat homes. Paid for out of savings on fuel bills over 25 years
Energy bills to contain information on how to move to the cheapest tariff available and benchmarking data
Liberal Democrats
- Eco-cashback scheme which for one year only will give homeowners £400 if double glazing, a new boiler or micro-generation is installed
- 10 year programme of home insulation, offering an energy improvement package of up to £10,000 per home, paid for by the savings in energy bills. Reference also to improvement of building regulations
- Improve energy efficiency in the public and commercial sectors – strengthen the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme and require companies and Government departments to report on their energy use and set targets for reducing it
International Agreements/Treaties
Labour
- Strengthening Europe’s 20% by 2020 emissions reduction target to 30%
- Seeking a second Kyoto commitment for Europe
Conservatives
- N/A
Liberal Democrats
- Work through the EU to ensure that environmental concerns are fully integrated into the objectives of international institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation
- Create a new designation (similar to sites of special scientific interest) to protect green areas of particular importance or value to the community. Also, to double the UK’s woodland cover by 2050. Stop ‘garden grabbing’ by defining gardens as greenfield sites in planning law
Promote climate change technology transfer between the EU and developing countries
Energy/Product Labelling
Conservatives
- Keep Energy Performance Certificates to help people improve the environmental rating of their property
- Improve the energy efficiency of household appliances drawing on experiences of the ‘Top Drawer’ programme in Japan
Liberal Democrats
- Work with other countries to develop an international labelling system for the environmental impact of products
Flooding and Water Management
Labour
- Bring forward legislation to improve flood and water management
Conservatives
- Reform the water industry
- New measures to encourage businesses and households to manage water effectively
- Take forward the findings of the Pitt Review, improve flood defences and prevent ‘unnecessary’ development in areas of high flood risk
Liberal Democrats
- Stop major housing developments in flood risk areas
- Introduce ‘landscape-scale’ planning policies with a specific remit to restore water channels, rivers and wetlands and reduce flood risk by properly utilising the natural capacity of the landscape to retain water
Biodiversity
Labour
- Push for an EU wide ban on illegally logged timber, or failing that, to ban it domestically
60% of new development on brownfield land
Conservatives
- Pressing for only legally harvested timber and timber products to be made available on the market
- Introducing a new criminal offence under UK law for the import and possession of illegal timber
Ongoing woodland creation and campaign to plant one million trees by the end of the next Parliament
Liberal Democrats
- Seek a target of zero net deforestation by 2020 and support a series of payments to developing countries to help them to reduce deforestation Impose a law at EU or UK level to make it illegal to import or possess timber produced illegally in foreign countries
A new strategy on biodiversity designed to arrest the destruction of habitats
Transport
Labour
- High speed rail network linking north and south
Commitment to rolling out 100,000 electric vehicle charging points by the end of the next Parliament
- Third runway at Heathrow, subject to environmental restrictions and limits on flight numbers
Conservatives
- High speed rail network linking north and south
- Opposition to airport expansion, in favour of high speed rail link to Heathrow
- Commitment to consult on a ‘fair fuel stabiliser’ to increase predictability of fuel prices
Incentives for electricity suppliers to introduce a network of chargers for electric cars
Liberal Democrats
- Work through the EU for a zero emissions target for all new cars by 2040 and extend targets to other vehicles
Waste
Labour
- Reducing landfill and moving toward ‘zero waste’ by banning recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill
- Separated public bins for recycling on the street and in shopping centres
Conservatives
- A ‘responsibility deal’ on waste – a voluntary agreement among producers to cut back on the production of waste and improve its disposal
- Goal of ‘a zero waste society’
- Rewarding householders by encouraging councils to pay them to recycle. Paid for by a floor under the standard rate of landfill tax until 2020 to encourage alternative forms of waste disposal
Liberal Democrats
- Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and give decision making powers to ‘local people’. Create a third party right of appeal in cases where planning decisions go against locally agreed plans
- Set targets for zero waste, require better packaging design and durability product standards
Heritage
Liberal Democrats
- Equalise VAT on new build and repair on an overall revenue-neutral basis (framed in relation to reducing the cost of repairs to heritage buildings)
Green Taxation and Finance
Labour
- Create a green investment bank to invest in low carbon infrastructure and seek to match private sector funding of £1bn
Conservatives
- Pledge to increase the proportion of tax revenues accounted for by environmental taxation. Additional pledge that any additional revenues from new green taxes that are principally designed to change behaviour are used to reduce taxation elsewhere
- Reform the Climate Change Levy to provide a floor price for carbon
- Create a Green Investment Bank drawing together money currently divided across existing Government initiatives, leveraging private sector capital to finance new green technology start-ups
- Allowing communities that host renewable energy projects to keep the additional business rates they generate for six years
Liberal Democrats
- UK Infrastructure Bank to attract private finance to deliver expansion of Britain’s transport network and energy infrastructure. Seeded with Government funding
End of Report
14 April 2010