Wind Energy
The Planning Process
National planning guidance has also been specifically developed to recognise the importance of renewable energy and encourage the development of new projects. Principal among the guidance documents are the following:
| Area | Policy | Guidance provided |
|---|---|---|
| England | Planning Policy Statement 22, "Renewable Energy" (2004) | PPS22 seeks to create a "positive planning framework for renewable energy" and in particular requires local authorities to (i) promote and encourage renewable energy schemes Local Development Documents (LDD's) and (ii) afford significant weight to the wider environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy proposals when determining planning applications. |
| England | Planning Policy Statement 1, "Planning and Climate Change" (2007) | This supplement to PPS1 sets out how planning, in providing for the new homes, jobs and infrastructure needed by communities, should help shape places with lower carbon emissions and resilient to the climate change now accepted as inevitable. |
| Scotland | Scottish Planning Policy Guidance 6 (2007) | SPPG6 sets out how the planning system (in Scotland) should manage the process of encouraging, approving and implementing renewable energy proposals when (i) preparing development plans and (ii) determining planning applications. SPPG6 works in conjunction with Planning Advice Note 45 (PAN 45) which identifies the planning issues likely to arise with renewable energy proposals and indicates how these can be addressed. |
| Wales | Technical Advice Note 8, "Planning for Renewable Energy" (2005) | TAN8 aims to provide a clear framework for local planning authorities in Wales when making development control decisions. TAN8 differs to English, Scottish and Northern Irish guidance by (i) setting specific Welsh renewable energy targets and (ii) identifying 7 strategic search areas in which larger scale on-shore wind proposals should be concentrated. |
| Northern Ireland | Planning Policy Statement 18 "Renewable Energy" (2009) | PPS18 facilitates the siting of renewable energy generating facilities in appropriate locations within the built and natural environments. |
In line with this national guidance, Local Plans and Local Development Documents across the UK generally now include renewable energy policies (often containing further criteria specific to the local area) and these can usually be found on district council web-sites.
Planning applications will be considered by local planning authority officials, who will check that the proposed wind farm developments are in line with national, regional and local planning policies. The Planning Application from the developers and the responses from public consultation are fully reviewed. The officials will then make a recommendation to the planning committee, which is composed of local councillors who make the final decision. To ensure that Local Planning Authority planning decisions are timely and correctly apply planning policy, decisions can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, sometimes resulting in a Planning Inquiry.
