Dan Levy, Planning Manager at Balance Power, has some suggestions on how the UK can tackle the fractured approvals process and speed up notoriously slow planning decisions.
As the UK Government moves ahead with its net zero commitments, the country’s connections and planning systems are coming under increasing levels of scrutiny. The need for a rapid rollout of clean infrastructure is more critical than ever before. However, leading industry voices are in agreement that an often disjointed and slow planning approvals process is hindering us achieving such progress.
As the clean energy sector looks ahead to the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill, there are several key areas of policy that must be addressed. The Government must show that it is willing to go further and faster to ensure that renewable development remains viable, profitable, and simple for prospective developers. It is not an overstatement to say that the future of the UK’s net zero achievements relies on it.
The need for change
There is widespread acknowledgement across both industry and government that Britain’s planning process needs to be made faster and more flexible. If the UK is to reach its net zero targets, we cannot afford for vital infrastructure to be continually delayed, or even blocked, by the approvals process.
The recent refocus on speeding up approvals for NSIPs (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects) is a welcome reflection of this reality. The new Government pledged action in this area pre-election and has so far demonstrated continued commitment to prioritising these projects – we are hopeful that this area will be addressed significantly in the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Other efforts, such as the recent working paper entitled, Streamlining Infrastructure Planning, is evidence of this commitment, as the Government proactively seeks industry views on how to streamline the development of critical infrastructure.
But while NSIP reform is a key tool in tackling planning issues, we must not allow our vision to become tunnelled.
Effective reform must also address the disconnect between the different local bodies involved in planning.
The strategic deployment of infrastructure in the UK runs through a relatively unsophisticated process. It initially involves input from NESO (National Energy System Operator), DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero), and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), but final decisions on planning are made by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), often with differing priorities and internal strategies to the larger national bodies.
This can often lead to these LPAs rejecting proposals that may align with national grid priorities, but conflict with local planning objectives. Approval reform must address this issue if it is to have maximum impact, and we hope to see this addressed in the Government’s planned NSIP development, and its upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
We must also consider that as we work to achieve a more streamlined planning process, this will result in an increased number of applications landing on the desks of officials. We need to ensure that there is enough skilled human resource available in approvals departments to manage this influx. Failure to hire more of these staff will simply result in continued bottlenecks at a different stage of the approvals pipeline.
Learning from previous measures
When tackling reform for vital and complex processes such as infrastructure planning, new administrations need not feel like they are operating in a vacuum. Past attempts at reform can, and must, be learned from. For example, 2020 saw the relaxation of planning legislation, allowing battery storage projects to be determined by local planning authorities above 50 MW in England and above 350 MW in Wales, rather than having to go through the NSIP process. Efforts like this are broadly in-line with the current Government’s priorities.
However, they did result in some unexpected side effects that must now be addressed. In recent years, this measure has meant that the local planning authorities have been flooded with planning applications, and their timeframes for determining applications have therefore massively increased. This is part of the reason why hiring quality planning approvals staff is so important; yet will be challenging for many councils who are facing cuts in funding.
Furthermore, when building out policy such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the current Government can also build upon previous Government’s policy papers/proposals that cover the topic of local authority planning. Examples of these include the Energy White Paper (2020), Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener (2021) and the British Energy Security Strategy (2022).
The Government has also called for views to contribute to their planning reform working paper, titled Streamlining Infrastructure Planning. Industry contributions to this paper can, and should, help direct and inform future planning regulation.
The role of developers
Whilst the brunt of the responsibility for meaningful planning change falls on the shoulders of the Government, private developers also have a significant role to play. A proactive, transparent, and realistic approach to planning is essential to preventing planning rejections and delays.
At Balance Power, we are proud that our approvals rate is higher than the industry standard. We spend a lot of time in the pre-application phase, ensuring early and effective engagement with stakeholders and the local community to address their concerns, answering questions and implementing their suggestions into the design wherever possible.
By undertaking extensive work in the development process, developers can avoid unnecessary delays and rejections that hinder renewable infrastructure rollout. This attitude must also be applied to project deliverability, ensuring that developers’ approved projects have the highest possible chance of coming to fruition.
It is also the responsibility of developers to inform and guide policy wherever possible, ensuring that industry concerns are effectively communicated to the Government. As the need for, and capacity of, renewable development continues to grow in years and decades to come, developers must accept their own areas of responsibility – ensuring that project planning, approvals, and construction are carried out in an efficient, strategic, and co-operative manner.
Looking ahead
The renewable sector is eagerly awaiting the content of the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. This is for good reason – the inclusion of reformed approaches to NSIP prioritisation, planning staff resourcing, and approvals body cohesiveness could have a significant impact. However, we must also see this as what it is; a step in a longer journey towards the development of clean, independent and cheaper energy across Britain.
Even after the reforms of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill have been implemented, the work will still have only just begun. Industry and Government partnerships have to be strengthened, instead of just maintained. The planning process must continue to be optimised, adapting to issues and developments that may not have even fully emerged yet.
The hiring of quality planning approvals staff must be prioritised and accelerated. Finally, developers must continue to show dedication and innovation in their planning efforts, providing necessary infrastructure in the time, place, and capacity that our country requires.
