In this contributed blog, Oli Pettersen, connections manager at Balance Power, explains how planning concerns are harming the UK’s green ambitions.
Last Friday, the British government unveiled its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, setting out its ambitious strategy to reshape the country’s energy system and ‘usher in a new era of clean electricity’ for the UK. To achieve this, the government has addressed the need for planning system reforms and cutting grid connection timeframes – demonstrating its commitment to take vital steps to unlock renewable energy projects.
However, to actually achieve cleaning up what is a very dysfunctional grid and, therefore, deploy cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy for all, we need to address a fundamental issue that is hampering this: the lack of cohesion between our various government departments and local councils.
The issue in hand
Whilst the UK’s clean power plans and markets are mature, their strategic deployment is actually relatively unsophisticated. The National Energy System Operator (NESO), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) work together to dictate the types of renewable energy technologies needed in different regions, shape how developers gain access to the grid and which types of projects receive government support.
However, they are not aligned with local planning authorities (LPAs) which grant planning permissions for these projects. There is, therefore, a misalignment of priorities, leading to LPAs potentially rejecting proposals that align with national grid priorities but conflict with local planning objectives. Ultimately, there is a lack of cohesion and communication between these various departments, causing system friction and delays in deployment.
As the CP30 plan points out, planning applications with local authorities in England under the Town and Country Planning Act can sometimes take up to 12 months to receive a decision, despite a four-month limit on energy infrastructure projects which require an Environmental Impact Assessment.
In the new plan, the government acknowledges that the current processes in place “aren’t suitable” and that examining authorities “are not well-equipped” to deal with the increase in new clean power projects and wider infrastructure needed in the coming years to get anywhere near the goal of achieving clean power by 2030.
Action and solutions
Fundamentally, we need to marry up grid and planning departments and establish stronger integration of national energy infrastructure plans with local development policies to create a united and cohesive system. To achieve this, it is critical that there is more effective and seamless communication between the network operators and local planners to ensure that political interests are cast aside to ensure required projects get through planning with minimal disruption where possible.
Distribution Network Operators
DNOs must be included in the conversation regarding the technology financing pots to ensure that any new or existing projects are allocated accordingly. Where there is a deficit in a specific technology, customers are encouraged to put in applications for that technology. Without significant input from the DNOs, the CP30 Action Plan simply fails.
DNOs should be encouraged to be honest and transparent with their allocated pots and keep developers updated with what schemes have filled out each technology pot and what the deficit looks like. This is crucial when it comes to assessing existing pipelines to understand the greater impact on individual projects and make an in-depth assessment on whether a scheme has prospects of progressing into Gate 2 and aligning with CP30.
Local Planning Authorities
A vital component of this solution is for government departments to provide more support and guidance for LPAs on renewable energy development – and engage in these processes much earlier on than is currently the case. This includes issuing improved resources to local planning authorities to assess renewable energy applications. The recently released plan claims that the government will equip organisations ‘with the tools they need to help deliver CP30’, promising to review resourcing and enhance training for certain organisations involved in the planning system. Furthermore, the CP30 plan vows that the government will boost local planning capacity, working with partners across the planning sector to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills they need both now and in the future.
As part of this, the plan outlines a £46 million package of investment to support the planning system as a whole. Whilst we welcome this huge decision for investment, thought must be considered around the timings of this and whether this funding has come at the 13th hour. Does the government really think that this investment package will truly solve the current LPA issues around response times?
Whilst this support is very much welcome and needed for LPAs – and would inherently benefit the overall planning system – its success will depend on how swiftly and strategically this implementation will occur, and how collaborative it will actually be. The government’s commitment to bringing forward a Planning and Infrastructure Bill might support here, bringing measures that could potentially modernise planning committees and boost capacity in LPAs, streamlining the delivery of critical infrastructure in the planning process.
Another important issue here is that currently, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) doesn’t make it clear that LPAs should consider the benefits associated with renewable energy generation and, therefore, proposals’ contribution to meeting a net zero future when determining applications for these developments. For this to happen, local authorities need to receive sufficient evidence that their communities will directly benefit from any clean energy infrastructure they host.
Furthermore, the CP30 plan outlines that the government is looking to update the Planning Practice Guidance next year to clarify the application of planning policy for renewable and low-carbon development to support the updates to NPPF in practice. This could arguably help local councils in developing policies for renewable and low carbon energy and identifies the planning considerations associated with a development proposal.
Through the additional funding and working practices, Balance Power hopes to see a drastic impact on the length of time which planning applications are sat with the LPAs and see a reduction in this timeframe to ensure that schemes strategically aligned with CP30 are fast-tracked through the planning portal.
Next steps
Overall, it is imperative that we take imminent action to clean up our dysfunctional grid, with the planning process being critical to this. The CP30 Action Plan outlines key steps that must be taken to address some of the biggest barriers here, which is essential to building a stronger, more cohesive and united planning system.
Ultimately, the CP30’s success will depend on the swift and strategic implementation of its promises and actions, with effective and seamless communication between government, network operators, local planners, and developers being of the utmost importance. We have the potential and necessity to transform our grid, but ultimately, this can only be achieved if everyone across all levels works together.
