Rural Environment
11 Sep 2023
Community-backed onshore wind projects to be given approval more quickly under new government rules – but who will build them?
Onshore wind projects which are supported by local people will be approved more quickly in England, under new measures being brought forward by the Government. Streamlined planning rules now mean...
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01 Sep 2023
Red tape around house building scrapped by government
Over 100,000 new homes, which the government says have been “held up due to defective EU laws”, will now go ahead before 2030, delivering an estimated £18 billion boost to...
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01 Sep 2023
Rural England calls on government to review its approach to heating rural homes
A report published today by the independent rural research organisation, Rural England CIC, raises further concerns about the government’s apparent one-size-fits-all policy of requiring the installation of heat pumps in...
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29 Aug 2023
Local Authorities called on to dramatically increase the number of EV public charging points to meet growing demand
A new study by Transport England and England’s Economic Heartland has found that there needs to be an almost six-fold increase in public electric vehicle charging points by 2025, in...
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21 Aug 2023
RSN Members invited to find out more about delivering net-zero homes and low carbon retrofit
RSN members are being invited to find out more about how to deliver net-zero homes and low carbon retrofit. The conference on Tuesday 5 September 2023 has three workstreams focussed...
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14 Aug 2023
Fears over rural heat pump plan
The Daily Mail has reported last week on the Government’s approach to off grid homes, where the current plan will mean that they can only replace their heating systems after...
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07 Aug 2023
The future of rural heating?
With a target to meet net zero by 2050, the Government has developed a range of policy solutions which focus on the heating of our homes. Government set ambitious targets...
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27 Jul 2023
How to tackle net zero?
It’s knowing where to start; that’s the thing. Anything as massive as global warming is pretty daunting for rural communities with limited critical mass to get the Net Zero ball...
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24 Jul 2023
Trial underway to shape the future of planning
The Planning Inspectorate is working close with the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities to review the services offered to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP). Areas under consideration include reshaping...
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17 Jul 2023
Consultation launched on ways to best protect our hedgerows
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has this week launched a new consultation on the best ways we can protect our hedgerows. As the EU’s land-based subsidies...
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