From Newsgroup: comp.os.linux.advocacy
More total lunacy from the brain damaged left.
"Air conditioning torn from homes under net zero clampdown"
"Climate change regulations prioritised despite soaring temperatures"
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/9070c8bea1b654f5>
"Homeowners are being forced to tear out air conditioning from their
private properties under climate laws, despite rising temperatures.
Council planning officers ordered residents to remove air-con units over
fears they produce too much carbon dioxide, stating they should only be
used as a olast resorto.
The net zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state oactive coolingo should only ever be allowed when all other means of opassive coolingo, such as opening windows or using fans, have been exhausted.
The Tories said Britain was being okept in the dark ageso under a net
zero mindset that denies people omodern conveniences that are completely normal in other countrieso.
Meanwhile, temperatures are forecast to reach as high as 40C this week,
with Britain sweltering under a record heatwave that has forced schools
to close, brought trains to a halt and led to the Met Office issuing a
red orisk-to-lifeo warning.
The Met Office issued a red 'risk-to-life' warning ahead of the heatwave
The Met Office issued a red arisk-to-lifeA warning ahead of the heatwave Credit: Anadolu
The acooling hierarchyA
Widely published advice states planning permission is not required to
install air-con. However, planning is required in certain situations,
such as in conservation areas, and there are different rules for flats, leasehold homes, as well as shared buildings.
It means there is a risk units are installed under the assumption they
are permitted, but are later caught by council enforcement officers.
In one of a string of cases uncovered by The Telegraph, a resident living
in North London was forced to opermanently removeo two air-con units from
the back of their home.
Planning inspectors working for Camden council said there was ono justificationo for the air-con units and that they failed to comply with
the local authorityAs so-called ocooling hierarchyo.
In an appeal, the resident was told to open the windows and balcony doors
of their first-floor flat to ventilate the property oby natural meanso.
Their concerns about security were dismissed, with inspectors saying the
risk was not oas great as those associated with ground floor windowso and
that the windows could be shut at night.
Planning documents stated that othe main issueo of concern for inspectors
was whether the oneed for active cooling is justified, with particular
regard to local policieso on energy.
Another resident was ordered to remove three air-con units from their property, despite complying with all planning requirements.
Camden council planning inspectors made oparticular noteo of the oabsence
of ceiling fanso in their home, even though it was not listed as a requirement.
Despite inspectors finding that they were oneither intrusive nor harmfulo
to the character of the local area, the resident was told to rip out the units.
They were eventually allowed to keep the air-con on appeal to the
Planning Inspectorate u in spite of the councilAs strict climate tests u
by demonstrating that the property already had numerous eco upgrades such
as solar panels.
Air-con engineers told The Telegraph that they had been called out to
remove perfectly operational units worth thousands of pounds across
London.
Rules adapted from KhanAs aLondon PlanA
Residents of the capital are particularly at risk from strict enforcement
of the building regulations, with councils enshrining rules adapted from
Sir Sadiq KhanAs oLondon Plano into their own local authority plans.
The London MayorAs 2021 plan states that onew development in London
should also be designed to avoid the need for energy intensive air conditioning systems as much as possibleo.
Local authority plans such as CamdenAs use even stronger language, saying
they will actively odiscourage the use of air conditioningo because of concerns it increases odemand for energyo and makes othe local micro-
climate hottero.
Other London councils have also attempted to restrict the use of air-con
on climate grounds, including Islington, which says it omust only be considered as a last resorto.
These go further than the wording in the national building regulations,
which say opassive coolingo options such as shading windows should be prioritised before air-con is considered.
The Tories claimed that these regulations amounted to an effective obano
on air-con, especially in new-build developments, and that the laws
should be scrapped.
Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: oIt is totally
bonkers for council bureaucrats to block people from installing air conditioning because it uses too much energy.
oThis is exactly why we must repeal the mad building regulations that
force councils to care more about box-ticking and process than letting
people keep their homes cool in the summer.
oWe have to get out of this miserabilist net zero mindset which says that Britain alone has to stay stuck in the dark ages and canAt enjoy the
modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries.o
Another Camden resident was forced to remove three air-con units from her home, in part because she lived in a conservation area.
However, concerns that the units ocomprised the adoption of appropriate climate change adaptation measureso were listed first in the main issues
of an appeal against the enforcement.
The effect of noise on neighbours was second, and the effect on the conservation area third.
The homeowner offered to clad the air-con unit to make it more visibly appealing, but planning officers dismissed her appeal, saying she was
still in breach of the climate rules.
Most British homes without air-con
Estimates suggest that as few as 3pc of British homes have air-con,
compared with 90pc in the US, with the question of whether to allow air-
con fast becoming a point of contention on the Left.
The Climate Change Committee said there was a need for air-con in care
homes, schools and hospitals as temperatures rise, in apparent contrast
to the official government position.
Last week, Labour resisted calls to reform building regulations, saying
they reflected othe GovernmentAs commitment to improving energy
efficiencyo.
A government spokesman said they were reviewing planning regulations for
new homes to ensure that they were effective and proportionate.
They added: oAir conditioning units are not banned. They can be installed
in both existing and new homes and we expect councils to take a common-
sense approach to the rules around this, which are there to manage the interests of communities and the environment.o
A Camden council spokesman said its planning policies prioritised
osimpler, low-energy ways of keeping homes coolo.
They added: oResidents seeking planning permission need to demonstrate
that alternative, more climate-friendly measures are not suitable, and
that units will not create noise or other harmful impacts on neighbours.
oEnforcement action in these cases is rare and used only as a last resort where this guidance has not been followed.o
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said the rules helped okeep homes cooler
without relying on energy-intensive solutionso, adding that olocal
planning decisions are the responsibility of the boroughs, who have their
own policies in placeo
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