National planning documents  ‘out of date’, warns expert

National Policy Statements for energy projects – including renewable energy – are slipping out of date and there is a ‘pressing need for revisions’, according to planning expert and blogger Angus Walker of lawyers BDB.

Walker noted that key policy statements in the energy sector were passing the due date for revisions, which is supposed to take place every five years. He said some were out of date, in some cases due to policy changes, such as the policy to outlaw construction of coal-fired power plants. In some cases technology had moved on, for example in tidal and solar energy. Walker said there was a ‘pressing need’ to revise the NPSs as planned, but added, “the government will probably only take notice when developers are deterred from using the regime as not being fit for purpose”.

 

Click here to read the blog in full. 

 

 

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