Local councils are falling behind in their bid  to meet central government targets on cutting carbon dioxide emissions, a conference has heard.

Today, at the Royal Town Planning Institute’’s annual conference Key Planning Issues 2010 in London, the Communities and Local Government head of planning resources and environmental policy Stephanie Hurst  said that planners had not made enough progress on sustainability.

However, planners are to come under greater pressure as the government has targets to make new homes zero carbon by 2016 and new commercial buildings zero carbon by 2019.

Hurst said the government’s target of a sevenfold increase in the UK’s renewable energy output by 2020 is a “huge challenge” for planners.

“There have been some great exemplars of sustainability in local authorities, but we need to start making these things mainstream,” Hurst said.

She said urgent action was needed over planning for renewable energy infrastructure and waste management. “Energy from waste is a key priority for the government, and we want to help local authorities get delivery of waste plans in place as soon as possible.”

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