Energy and planning White Papers cause alarm

Environmental campaigners denounced the Government’s support for airport expansion and nuclear power likely to be contained in the documents in anticipation of White Papers on energy and planning expected to be published next week.

Commenting on the Planning White Paper due out on Monday, Greenpeace Director John Sauven said: “Given the urgency of climate change, this Planning White Paper should support low carbon and renewable energy technologies that are of benefit to both local communities and the wider environment.

“Instead it is clearly intended to open the door to new nuclear power stations and airports which are simply not the answer to the huge challenges we face.”

The Energy White Paper, to be published Wednesday, was delayed after a successful High Court challenge from Greenpeace found the last consultation on nuclear power to have been “misleading.” The Government will launch a new consultation on nuclear on Wednesday.

Goska Romanowicz