My name is Naomi and I’m from Rights Community Action – a climate rights collective that is standing up for people and the environment.

What's happening?

Last year, the Government issued a statement in England to prevent local government from having the best climate change policies possible in their local plans. They did this while failing the very first test set by the Environment Act 2021, which requires Ministers to consider the environmental impact of the policies they make. If this policy is allowed to stand, there are 1 million future homes at risk of not being zero carbon.

Despite support from over seventy local authorities, developers who are leading the way, and local communities, the Government has still not changed the policy.

We lost the first case as the Judge, Mrs Justice Lieven, agreed with the Government that it can restrict local plans from being too ambitious on climate. 

The judge also said that the Environment Act duty to consider a policy's environmental impacts could be done after the policy is issued, and did not need to take any scientific evidence into account.

However, we have been granted permission to appeal!

We're facing a climate and nature crisis. But without this appeal, all policy made by Ministers in whatever department, will not really have to think about environmental principles in a way that makes a difference. 

It isn't right that local plans that want to ensure that the homes for all of us are built to be cheap and energy efficient to run and fit for the future are being prevented by central Government, and it isn't right that the Government are defending their approach to an environmental duty that means it isn't worth the paper it is written on.

What are we doing and what do we need?

We are raising £20,000 to fund our Appeal to overturn the Government's policy to stop local government planning for climate change and to strengthen a hugely important environmental duty on Ministers. The Office for Environmental Protection will be intervening to protect the purpose of the Environment Act, and Green Alliance will also be supporting.

We need your support: please contribute and share this page now!