BPF welcomes Merton revision

The proposed revision of the Merton Rule has been welcomed by the British Property Federation (BPF), which has praised the "greater flexibility" with regard to energy supply.

In a letter to the deputy leader of Merton Borough Council minister for housing Yvette Cooper said the Merton Rule would not be scrapped, but instead be "sufficiently flexible to allow for offsite as well as on-site renewable technologies".

The minister also outlined some of the initiatives that would appear in PPS 22, including area specific targets for renewable and low carbon energy.

Liz Pearce, chief executive of the BPF, said: "Policy on energy supply has to move on and it is unrealistic to expect all developments to stick to a rule that may not be workable in their area. We are pleased that the government has taken on board our recommendations on the Merton rule and listened to the advice of the industry."