Article for Touchstone architecture magazine published by the Royal Society for Architects Wales
The Welsh niche planning policy on One Planet Developments (OPDs) is contained within TAN 6, ‘Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities in Wales’. It was launched in July 2010 at the Royal Welsh Show to an audience of farmers and rural business representatives. The policy provides opportunities for affordable zero carbon housing on agricultural land in return for new zero carbon land-based enterprises. It is the only national policy of its type where pioneers can demonstrate zero carbon living and actively counteract rural depopulation.
Nine years on – how effective has it been? There are now 41 registered dwellings in Wales across 8 local authorities, with 10 agreed in the last year. A One Planet Council provides support and training to planners and prospective applicants. Following many initial planning refusals, excellent applications now pass through planning without hindrance. In the newly created School of Architecture at UWTSD Swansea, students do coursework on OPD building design; at the Carmarthen Business School, a new online Postgraduate Certificate in One Planet Governance commences this autumn, and is already attracting international applications. The policy is supported by the legal definition of prosperity in the Wellbeing of Future Generations’ (Wales) Act as ‘an innovative, productive and low carbon society which recognises the limits of the global environment and therefore uses resources efficiently and proportionately (including acting on climate change)’
So the verdict so far must be ‘good in parts’, even if slower than I might have hoped. Application numbers and knowledge are growing each year despite the lack of promotion of the policy. Disappointingly, more sustainable housing and land use opportunities are not yet in the mainstream as the planning system and building regulations are not yet fully aligned with the low carbon agenda. So the pioneers are still needed: pioneers in Welsh Government and local authorities to drive Low Carbon Delivery Plans throughout all their areas of responsibility and pioneers on the land to continue to demonstrate how to live one planet lives. And me? I think I need a chat with some young farmers – back to the Royal Welsh Show!