If you are looking to engage with the planning system, such as at a public inquiry, then our Community Rights Resource Pack is the best place to start.
If you'd like to talk to someone about your legal rights with respect to environmental issues in your community then you can also contact Friends of the Earth's Rights & Justice Centre.
Community Rights Resource Pack
A set of campaigner guides covering how you can get involved in planning and environmental decision-making.
We also have a wide range of other resources on the following main areas:
Planning Bill - Campaigner's Briefing
December 2007
A Campaigners guide to the Planning Bill. This document demonstrates the Bill's weaknesses and explains how improvements can be made to ensure accountability, reduce carbon emissions, and protect people's right to be heard.
Climate change and Local Development Frameworks
November 2007
Councils are putting together their Local Development Frameworks - planning guidelines for their area. This excerpt from the Community Rights Resource Pack explains how you can use this excellent opportunity to get measures to tackle climate change included in local plans.
Friends of the Earth official response to the Planning White Paper consultation
August 2007
Our official response to the Planning White Paper Consultation. This document provides a thorough criticism of the proposals, demonstrating why they represent a disaster for rights, environment and democracy.
Planning White Paper Consultation: some consultation questions answered
August 2007
A selection of questions, and Friends of the Earth's suggested responses, from the DCLG consultation on the May 2007 Planning White Paper. These highlight Friends of the Earth's concerns that the Planning White Paper proposals would be disastrous for rights, for democracy and for the environment.
A Better Plan: an alternative view of the land use planning system
Feb 2007
This report highlights the damaging proposals recommended by the Treasury to streamline planning for the benefit of big business. We believe that with reform, planning has the potential to deliver a social policy agenda of inclusion, community empowerment, democratic renewal, and the delivery of sustainable development.
Regional Spatial Strategy:
a blueprint for justice and sustainable development in the English regions
Mar 2006
Our vision of a sustainable and environmentally just society. It provides a set of clear spatial policies and is a useful resource for communities, campaigners and planning practitioners who want to achieve a positive future for their regions.
How to: use your rights in planning applications
Nov 2005
There are key steps you can take to influence the planning application process in your favour. This 'how to' guide outlines the process and explains how to make best use of your rights when objecting to an application.
PPS 10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management
Nov 2005
This briefing note summarises the key differences between Planning Policy Statement 10 and previous planning guidance on waste, and explains how to use PPS10 to influence what is happening on waste in your area.
Strategic environmental assessment (SEA): a campaigner's guide
Oct 2005
The SEA system provides important opportunities to understand the environmental impacts of new policies and plans.
Environmental impact assessment (EIA): a campaigner's guide
Oct 2005
EIA applies to major development proposals and is supposed to help us understand the potential development effects on the environment. This guide explains how to get to grips with EIA and how to check they are done right.
Planning and supermarkets
Opposing a supermarket application in your area? This link will take you to the range of resources and actions we have developed for our Real Food campaign.
Planning and Climate Change resources
Sep 2005
We are campaigning at all levels of Government to try and ensure that planning policy plays its part in tackling climate change. This link will take you to the range of resources and actions Friends of the Earth have developed for our climate campaign.
Community Strategies and Local Strategic Partnerships
Apr 2005
Under the Local Government Act 2000, all local authorities are bound to prepare Local Strategic Partnerships, more commonly known as Community Strategies. This explains how they are set up, how they are run, what they intend to achieve and how you can use them to your best advantage.
A Local Campaigners Guide to the New English Planning System
Feb 2005
This guide shows how the system works, how you can get involved, and recommends policy statements (on some core areas) that Friends of the Earth advocates, and would like to see in the final documents produced by English local authorities.
A guide to Local Development Schemes
Jan 2005
A guide to how and when local authorities write the documents which go to make up local development frameworks.
Statements of Community Involvement: A Conformity Checklist
Feb 2005
Use this to see whether your Local Authority has conformed to the key principles Friends of the Earth believes should be contained within a Statement of Community Involvement.
Briefing for MPs on the Planning Bill
December 2007
This briefing outlines the problems with the Planning Bill as published in November 2007 and makes the case for improvements to the Bill so that Planning Reform does not come at the expense of people's rights, democracy and the environment.
Tackling climate change through the planning system. Looking at the new planning policy statement on climate change
April 2007
This briefing focuses on the Government's "Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change", determining how we can use it to deliver our vision of a low carbon society.
Planning for the Future
August 2007
This briefing demonstrates the democratic and sustainable development principles that underpin the planning system, explores a possible "new vision for planning" and suggests how we could get there.
Planning White Paper: MPs' briefing
Jun 2007
The Government's Planning White Paper sets out a series of reforms to make the planning system better for business. This briefing for MPs summarises our concerns on the serious implications the White Paper has for local people and the environment.
Tackling Climate Change Through Planning: a discussion paper for PPS 26
Sep 2006
A report produced by Friends of the Earth and the Town and Country Planning Association. It recommends the scope and detail for the Government's forthcoming Planning Policy Statement on climate change. It aims to address the currently patchy delivery of climate change policy, suggesting a systematic approach and provides best practice guidance.
Barker Review of Land Use Planning: analysis of the Interim Report
Aug 2006
The Barker Review will have a dramatic impact on the way we shape the future of our communities. This interim report heralds the beginning of a further major program of reform and deregulation. But the analysis in the interim report is based on a flawed understanding of the purpose of planning, and lacks a rigorous evidence base and a coherent analytical approach.
Planning Shake-up: the Treasury's agenda for our local communities
MPs briefing
Aug 2006
The Treasury is driving forward a series of initiatives that will dramatically change land-use planning. Friends of the Earth fears these will lead to a significant attack on people's rights and the environment, without improving prosperity for communities.
Regional Spatial Strategy: a blueprint for justice and sustainable development in the English regions
Mar 2006
Friends of the Earth's vision of a sustainable and environmentally just society. It provides a set of clear spatial policies and is a useful resource for communities, campaigners and planning practitioners who want to achieve a positive future for their regions.
The second Barker review of land use planning:a response by Friends of the Earth on the terms of reference
Mar 2006
The Treasury sets out terms of reference for this review that aim to deregulate the planning system. Friends of the Earth's response shows that it is social and environmental goals which are presently not met. The approach chosen in the review to deliver reform will deliver damaging and inefficient results, because it does not integrate economic, social and environmental considerations.
Delivering Sustainable Housing: MPs briefing
Jan 2006
The Government consultations on Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS 3) and the Code for Sustainable Homes have missed a major opportunity to secure a step change in the environmental performance of housing. This briefing sets out practical policy recommendations for PPS 3 and the Code.
Implementing the Barker Report:
or how to wreck the environment and ignore the homeless
Jul 2005
The Government's consultation paper on housing supply threatens to wreck the planning system, cause massive house-building in the South East, demolitions in the North and would have a huge impact on the environment.
PPS1 - creating sustainable communities: a summary
Mar 2005
Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS 1) is a vitally important document for anyone campaigning on planning issues at the local and regional level. PPS 1 is the Government's overarching statement on the purpose of the planning system and sets out important objectives.
Statements of Community Involvement Key Principles: A Local Authority guide
Jul 2004
This guide is designed to assist Local Authorities to prepare their Statements of Community Involvement. Based on our extensive experience of the barriers to community participation in planning, the report identifies the key principles that will help promote effective public involvement.
Legal Opinion in the matter of the Planning White Paper
October 2007
This legal opinion, by top barristers and experts in environmental and planning law, shows how the Planning White Paper proposals would breach UK, EU and international law in a number of areas.
Friends of the Earth official response to the Planning White Paper consultation
August 2007
Response to the Barker Review of Land Use Planning: Interim Report
Aug 2006
Response to Treasury terms of reference: The second Barker review of land use planning
Mar 2006
Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing
Feb 2006
Response to ODPM consultation paper: Planning for housing provision
Sep 2005
Planning Policy Statement 1: Creating sustainable communities
May 2004
Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres
Mar 2004
Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable development in rural areas
Dec 2003
Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and geological conservation
Dec 2004
Planning Policy Statement 10: Planning for sustainable waste management
Mar 2005
Planning Policy Statement 11: Regional planning
Jan 2004
Planning Policy Statement 12: Local development frameworks
Jan 2004
Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable energy
Jan 2004
Public Bills Committee on the Planning Bill
January 2008 Friends of the Earth's submission to the Public Bills Committee set up to scrutinise the Planning Bill. This submission highlights the Bill's shortcomings, particularly with respect to climate, democratic accountability and individual rights at inquiries, and recommends ammendments.
Planning White Paper
Jul 2007
The Government's Planning White Paper sets out a series of reforms to make the planning system better for business. This evidence summarises our concerns on the serious implications the white paper will have on local people and the environment.
Housing: Building a sustainable future
Jun 2004
Evidence given by Friends of the Earth to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on the issue of housing in the wake of the Barker Review.
Housing: Building a Sustainable Future - Supplementary evidence
Jun 2004
Supplementary Evidence given by Friends of the Earth to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on the issue of housing and the Barker Review.
Planning for a Sustainable Future: Consultation on the Planning White Paper
Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change - Supplement to Planning Policy Statement 1 - Consultation
Barker Review of Land Use Planning: final report
Barker Review of Land Use Planning: interim report
Barker Review of Land Use Planning: call for evidence
Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS 3) consultation
Code for Sustainable Homes consultation, ODPM
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.
Contact us | Support us | Privacy policy
Copyright © Friends of the Earth Trust/Limited
