The final consultation on the new Local Plan for Winchester District closes in a couple of days. Sadly, the Inspector’s “Main Modifications” to the Plan include only one minor tweak to policies relating to Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Schemes.
In the most recent of the many consultations, I did my best to limit my comments to those that seemed (to me at least) to be genuinely worthy of consideration. But I was not invited to the meetings with the Inspector, despite the rather lengthy list of attendees for the sessions on environmental policies.
By way of consolation, a report published by Regen just before Christmas, “From Plans to Power,” includes much that mirrors my thoughts about the Winchester effort. Funded by Innovate UK, the report offers a splendid opening statement: “A landscape of chaos was how one local authority planner described the disparity in local planning policies on renewables across England.”
I’ve no inclination to go over old ground and will simply extract four sentences from the report that stand out for me:
While 64% of local plans reference a climate strategy or Climate Emergency declaration, few translate these commitments into measurable emissions or clean energy targets.
Many renewable energy policies include supportive opening statements
followed by extensive criteria that, in practice, make renewable projects difficult to approve.
There is a need for clarification at the national level that such policies (restricting onshore wind turbines) should no longer be given consideration in decision making due to the overturning of this ‘de facto ban’.
Evidence is only valuable if it remains current. Outdated assessments, reflecting old technology costs or turbine scales, can create unnecessary barriers.
In Winchester we now face a perfect storm of confusion over the effective dates of this new Local Plan, the directive to immediately start work on the next Plan, for a District that is scheduled to merge with others, overseen by a new Mayor, whose powers in relation to large renewable energy projects may or may not be relevant.
Meanwhile, Regen has consistently lobbied for the government to fund more Local Authority staff resources qualified to address renewable energy projects. Whatever views we all hold about these projects, or about Local Government reform, this is surely an urgent step towards Clean Power 2030.
‘A landscape of chaos’… renewable energy in local plans across England introductrion to Regen report