Energy: why planners must be involved

Abstract

It seems probable that planners will increasingly be involved with all aspects of the energy system. This paper attempts to outline some of the fundamental issues with which they will be concerned. It considers, first, the physical and socio‐economic impacts of energy supply facilities and then discusses the ability of the planning system to respond to energy development pressures. It then turns to the less tangible problems of energy efficiency in the built environment and considers the potential for improvement together with some of the many constraints involved.