RenewableUK welcomes government measures to streamline efficiency and reduce planning delays.
The voice of the UK’s renewable energy industry, RenewableUK, has responded positively to the government’s proposed changes to the planning and infrastructure bill that ministers say will “sweep aside blockers standing in the way of growth and dismantle barriers to get Britain building”.
Commenting following the government’s announcement of new measures to streamline efficiency and reduce planning delays through its planning and infrastructure bill, RenewableUK’s director of policy and engagement Ana Musat said: “We have ambitious targets across various clean technologies and our grid infrastructure to ensure we deliver the government’s Clean Power 2030 mission and the measures outlined today represent a vital step towards realising these whilst protecting our environment and enabling local businesses and billpayers to directly feel the benefits.
“Onshore wind is one of the quickest and cheapest technologies to build and we welcome these proposals to ensure we can fully capitalise on this through a more efficient planning process, potentially enabling up to 3GW of capacity and £2bn in additional investment for local businesses.
“Additionally, we welcome the introduction of the Nature Restoration Fund, which will work alongside the upcoming Marine Recovery Fund to deliver a joined-up approach to protecting the UK’s precious species and habitats while we construct and connect our substantial pipeline of clean energy projects. This will dovetail with the reduced administrative burden on Natural England, which will be freeing up its resources to work collaboratively on solutions to support the deployment of renewables.”
If the measures are voted through by parliament, ministers will get new powers to prevent planning applications being rejected by local councils while they consider using ‘call-in’ powers to decide whether or not they should be approved. The government claims that currently some councils are dragging their feet to get on and build with nearly 900 major housing schemes blocked in the past year alone.
Under government plans, builders will also receive a helping hand to stop planning permissions from being timed out on vital housing projects tied up in the courts, accelerating and unlocking stalled schemes so money can be targeted at getting spades in the ground rather than starting back at square one.
