"Farm waste to be greener under new proposals." - DEFRA information bulletin, 17 December.
"We need a fresh approach to planning for housing at the local, regional and national level; an approach which is flexible and responsive to evidence of environmental impacts and volatile demographic trends." - Fiona Howie, CPRE, 21 December
"Conserving the environment makes social, economic and business sense. By investing in the environment, we are putting jobs first." - Commissioner designate Janos Potočnik, 13 January
"I would not like to see subsidiarity as an excuse for inaction." - Commissioner designate Janos Potočnik, 13 January
"The concept of resource efficiency will be central to my approach... [but] whenever we discuss setting targets we need a careful approach." - Commssioner designate Janez Potočnik, 13 january
"I believe a blanket ban on back garden development-which no local authority advocated-would be wrong, as these are precisely the types of decisions that are best taken locally within an effective planning system that is responsive to the specifics of an area." - John Healey, 19 January
