Planning for Low Carbon Energy
15-07-08
Micropower: Permitted development rights
Since April 2008, householders are allowed certain microgeneration systems without the need for planning permission.
- Allowed: Solar PV and thermal systems, ground- and water-source heat pumps, biomass and combined heat and power systems.
- Not covered: free-standing or building-mounted wind turbines, air-source heat pumps. The government is seeking permission from Europe to include these.
There are certain restrictions on the sizes of permitted installations, as well as standards for technology being installed.
Related link: PDRs for microgeneration
Planning decisions for wind farms, for example, took on average 14 months to achieve for wind farms during 2007, with 60% of projects winning consent.
The government noted in its draft Renewable Energy Strategy of June 2008 that there was a "significant drop" in the number of planning applications for onshore wind projects over the previous 18 months, suggesting that planning delays were a deterrent.
It also warned that some proposals for renewable energy installations can put "tremendous" pressure on locally-elected politicians to refuse permission, despite projects being supported by national policy frameworks because of local opposition to projects.
Planning guidance
One of the ways the government has already sought to improve planning for low carbon energy has been through statutory planning guidance, of which local planners must take account in their decisions.
Planning Policy Statement 22 (2004) set out the government's policies for renewable energy, while December 2007 saw the government adding a section on climate change to its Planning Policy Statement 1 on sustainable development, to further strengthen the requirements for local planners to take account of the need to tackle climate change when determining planning applications.
Regional and local planners are now expected to actively plan for and support new renewable energy generation capacity - even going as far as setting aside potential sites for renewable energy proposals. Regions are expected to set targets for renewable energy capacity in their areas. And, organisations proposing renewable energy installations should no longer be questionned by planners on the energy need for their project "either in general or in particular locations".
Reforms
In Westminster, the government is pushing the Planning Bill through Parliament to establish a new panel of commissioners to take final planning decisions on projects deemed to be "nationally significant". A new Marine Bill will also help to improve the planning process for offshore projects next year.
In Cardiff Bay, the Welsh Assembly government is currently reviewing its "TAN 8" planning policy for renewable energy, which sets dedicated "Strategic Search Areas" within Wales that are to be considered suitable for technologies like onshore wind.
In Holyrood, the Scottish government is giving priority to power generation and grid reinforcements within its new National Planning Framework, which is being prepared following a consultation early in 2008. It has already started trying to improve its marine planning system through a new Scottish marine bill.
And, in Belfast the Planning Policy Statement 18 is being reviewed in the light of a recent consultation, with the Department of Enterprise and the Department of Environment are working to push through "significant" grid strengthening needed to support a renewable energy generation rate of 42%.
See the following reports for more details of work to improve the planning systems in the UK:
