Insights for local authorities and community organisations: how to respond to the current consultation on proposed changes to national planning policy for onshore wind in England.
Regen Briefing Note – February 2023
Planning reforms for onshore wind
Insights for local authorities and community organisations: how to respond to the current consultation on proposed changes to national planning policy for onshore wind in England
At the close of 2022, the government launched an open consultation on reforms to national planning policy in the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, led by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
This briefing note aims to support local authorities and community organisations to submit their own response to the consultation. It outlines what the consultation process involves, the key issues raised that might affect local and community energy organisations, and Regen’s views on how to respond to the consultation most effectively.
We see responding to this consultation as a vital process to ensure the government’s changes to the planning restrictions on onshore wind are impactful and enable more projects to be developed. We encourage local authorities and communities to respond directly, using the consultation as an opportunity to provide government with examples of how the policy framework has prevented projects from getting approved and the specific barriers created by the wording of the policy framework.
We are also interesting in hearing your views and using these as examples to bolster the response that we are writing from Regen’s perspective. Please share your views with Hazel Williams at hwilliams@regen.co.uk and Emma Smith at esmith@regen.co.uk
More about the consultation:
The consultation describes proposed changes to a wide range of policy areas in England within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with just one section relating to onshore wind generation and energy efficiency.
The proposed changes to the wording of the existing policy in the NPPF document are set out here. Pages 46 and 47 contain the detailed wording changes relating to onshore wind.
The open consultation process is a chance to give feedback before the proposals are enacted into policy. Anyone can submit a response to the proposed policy changes online before 11.45pm on 2 March 2023.
“Onshore wind has a critical role in accelerating the UK’s path to net zero emissions. Without the current planning barriers, we would already have commissioned more onshore wind turbines, resulting in cheaper power and lower carbon emissions, as well as potential significant economic benefits for local communities.
The current consultation shows a chink of light in shifting government opinion on onshore wind. We need as many people as possible to respond to the consultation to open the door for onshore wind across England.”
Hazel Williams, Associate Director – Regen
Authors:
- Hazel Williams, Associate director – hwilliams@regen.co.uk
- Emma Smith, Policy and advocacy coordinator
- Prina Sumaria, Local energy coordinator