Consultations close 25 October - respond today! 

Check out these guides to help you respond: Friends of the Earth and the Green Party (Keith Taylor)

The consultation on making shale gas exploration 'permitted development' has now been published. You can tell them your views on this in their public consultation here. Watch this space for further updates (deadline 25 October)

Friends of the Earth have a petition out to stop the government from forcing fracking on communities, read more about it and add your signature here

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Fracking is deeply unpopular, but the government seems determined that minor details like local democracy cannot be an obstacle to the industry. Today's ministerial statement by Greg Clark,Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government makes that clear.

Two consultations have been announced:

1. 'On the principle of whether non-hydraulic fracturing shale exploration development should be treated as permitted development, and in particular on the circumstances in which this might be appropriate'.

2. 'On the criteria required to trigger the inclusion of shale production projects into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.' [i.e. decided by central government alone]

Climate action is heating up this summer. Check out these action groups organising across Europe

Picture above from Ende Gelände (information below drawn from their very useful newsletter!)

Climate Camp in Austria (30th May to 3rd June)

This camp will feature the Climate Games, an event where participants form small groups and engage in "flash-mobs, street-art and climbing actions" and other non-violent forms of protest. Organised by System Change, not Climate Change!, this camp will be set up near Vienna.

Harbour Games Hamburg (link in German) (23rd June)

Activists will be cycling around Hamburg's port and protesting at several locations. 

A new planning framework out for consultation now would set in stone a dangerous double standard. However unpopular fracking applications might be, the guidance would mean planning authorities would have to 'facilitate' them. Yet they would be forced to reject wind turbines in almost all cases, even if public opinion was in favour.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for England will determine what can be built in coming years, guiding local authorities in the preparation of development plans and decisions on planning applications. 

It could open us up to a fracking-free-for-all, while making new onshore wind almost impossible.

Can you spare 15 minutes (or even 5!) to have your say?

(Many thanks to Frack Free Ryedale for useful resources on this consultation)

How to respond

The draft text is here, and you can respond via the online form (this seems relatively straightforward, you navigate by ticking a box for the page you want to go to and clicking 'Next'). NB. it is fine to only leave comments in response to one or two questions! You can also send responses by email to planningpolicyconsultation@communities.gsi.gov.uk (don't forget to include your name and address and be clear which section you are commenting on if you do this). The deadline for responses is 11.45pm Thursday 10 May.

Chapter 14: 'Meeting the challenge of climate change'

At first glance the draft text may seem reasonable, but a key footnote tells a different story...

Footnote 40: "A proposed wind energy development involving one or more wind turbines should not be considered acceptable unless it is in an area identified as suitable for wind energy development in the development plan; and, following consultation, it can be demonstrated that the planning impacts identified by the affected local community have been fully addressed and the proposal has their backing"