16th
November
2009
Atmos Planning Expert Advises on Renewables Planning Systems
Philip Lewis, Atmos Consulting's Principal Planner, was recently asked to comment on the UK's planning systems and how they impact on our uptake of renewable energy developments.
Philip commented: "A number of issues surround the UK's delay in exploiting its wind energy resources. However, the complex planning systems which are in place have been identified by both the UK Government and developers as the major obstacle to progress. Ambitious targets have been set by the UK Government, which equate to 30% of electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020. Currently however, less than 5% of the UK's electricity comes from renewables, highlighting the major challenges ahead to meet these targets in the next ten years.
Developers of commercial energy projects who want to invest in the UK face a myriad of planning authorities and systems, and can be discouraged from UK projects due to the potential difficulty, time and cost of pursuing an application in the UK.
There are different local planning systems and policy frameworks for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Individual overhauls of these systems have been investigated and are set to be implemented. We are set to have our first planning appeal under the new Scottish planning system later this year and we expect to have our opening statements ready for November. What we want to do is create a best-practice approach that will be replicated by other consultants and applicants.
Wind farm developers not only have to navigate the complex local and national systems in the UK, but increasingly, have to consider the different levels of support that local authorities give to wind farm applications. Aberdeenshire Council, in the north-east of Scotland, and County Durham in England have both embraced wind energy, with County Durham exceeding its target for renewable energy development.
In other areas, mobilised public opposition to wind farms can be very strong, and can have the power to 'make or break' a wind farm application at the local level. This can often affect local politicians, who might be reluctant to support a wind farm development, and could vote to refuse the application in order to keep voters on their side.
The local focus of the planning system in the UK has created a bottleneck effect – there are more wind energy proposals in terms of MW awaiting decision than the combined total of built, under construction and consented schemes.
On a positive note, we at Atmos Consulting have found that there is now increasing success in the approval of community level schemes in the UK. We recently assisted in securing planning permission for a number of community wind turbines in the Western Isles of Scotland, which will create a steady income for local communities for years to come. This is extremely encouraging and should help spread the positive message of renewable energy developments to planning authorities and public opposition groups."
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