The Department has taken a wide range of steps to incentivise councils to promote environmental sustainability with economic growth as set out in a range of documents including the Local Government White Paper and Planning White Paper.
In December 2007, we published, as a package, the annex to Planning Policy Statement 1 on Climate Change and draft Planning Policy Statement 4 on Sustainable Economic Development. When PPS4 is published in its final form these national statements of policy will be applied by councils to achieve sustainable development.