Green planning bill passed by MPs

A bill which would allow councils to impose higher energy efficiency standards on new buildings has been approved by MPs.

The Planning and Energy Bill was passed by the Commons on Friday and will now go to the Lords for consideration.

The private member's bill is being piloted by Conservative Michael Fallon and seeks to give local authorities in England and Wales the power to require that a "proportion of energy" used in new homes and offices should come from renewable sources.

"It means that those who want to move faster than the government originally intended can now do so with certainty, provided they do so on a basis consistent with government policies," Fallon argued.

Communities and local government minister Parmjit Dhanda said the government had not initially been convinced the Bill was necessary.

But he said that amendments during its committee stage had made it a "workable piece of legislation", which fitted into wider initiatives to combat climate change.

Conservative spokesman Richard Benyon also praised the legislation as essential to "foster excellence in innovation and new technology".

"This allows for the right solutions to reach the endlessly varied regions of our country and gives a fighting chance of reaching our 2016 carbon homes target," he added.

And the Liberal Democrats offered their support. Spokesman Julia Goldsworthy said it would allow "real leadership" at the local level.

"The text of the Bill speaks for itself and I think the degree of support that has been won for this Bill also speaks for itself," she said.

Labour backbencher Andrew Dismore tabled a series of amendments at the report stage but insisted that he did not want to block the Bill's progress.