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Renewable energy and local planning
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Publishing date: 06.06.2006 |
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Excerpts from: East of England Plan, Draft December 2004, Appendix C, Renewable Energy Generation: Locational Criteria and Principles
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1. Introduction
1.1 These area and technology-based principles and criteria are to inform the development of detailed locational criteria for inclusion in local development documents. They are strategic in nature and will need to be elaborated and adapted to reflect local circumstances. Renewable energy developments have to be located where they are technologically and economically feasible. As this can range from heavily urbanised to remote rural areas, all parts of the region are potentially suited to some form of renewable energy technology. Different renewable energy technologies have different spatial requirements and the locational criteria in draft RSS stem from these. In addition, as renewable energy technology is subject to rapid technological change, with new, and more efficient, equipment constantly coming on-stream, it is inappropriate to specify areas of search based on current technological parameters.
1.2 Energy efficiency measures that fall within the remit of the planning system relate to the design and layout of settlement patterns, groups of buildings and individual buildings. They are also applicable to a wide range of situations across the region principally, though not exclusively, to new-build.
2. Strategic principles
2.1 Renewable energy technology and energy efficiency measures should be located wherever they are technically feasible, provided that adequate measures can be incorporated to mitigate their impact on local social and environmental conditions. Reference should be made to the broad suite of policies contained in the RSS in considering the acceptability of proposals. Their location will also be subject to detailed locational criteria in local development documents, drawn up in accordance with the following principles.
• Local planning policy should be based on the strategic principle of a ‘regional energy hierarchy’, i.e. in descending priority order it should:
- use less/reduce the need for energy
- use energy more efficiently
- use renewable energy
- use clean and efficient technology for fossil fuel powered heating and co-generation.
• A spatial approach should be used to guide broad locations for particular developments e.g. wind. Using the area-based criteria below, local development documents should define and relate renewable energy and energy efficiency policies to:
- sub-regional growth areas
- settlements outside growth areas
- non-designated landscapes
- designated landscapes.
• Small-scale and community-based schemes appropriate to local need are most likely to be permissible in areas which are:
- within or close to settlements
- within suitable landscapes
- close to the origin of the energy resource
- close to groups of buildings (in rural areas).
3. Area-based criteria
3.1 local development documents should incorporate detailed criteria related to the following spatial categories. As noted in the strategic principles above, all the policies of the RSS will be relevant in developing these criteria. For instance, policy ENV2 will be relevant in considering the acceptability of proposals on landscape grounds, and the criteria should thus reflect the use of landscape character assessment to establish the potential suitability of landscape areas to accommodate particular categories of development. Criteria should focus on encouraging the development and mitigating the effects of such technologies, rather than be used as a basis for justifying their refusal.
Sustainable Communities Plan growth areas
3.2 These will be areas of maximum potential for the development of renewable energy technology and the application of energy efficiency measures. Effort should be focussed on ensuring that the developers of the new homes, business and commercial and related developments that will be constructed during the draft RSS period take full opportunity of the opportunities to incorporate such measures into their proposals.
3.3 Scope for energy efficiency measures, combined heat and power (CHP) and district heating schemes will be greatest in these growth areas. Given the scale and level of development proposed, the widespread application of such measures presents the region with a significant prospect of meeting energy saving and climate change/greenhouse gas emission targets.
3.4 The major opportunities for renewable energy technology will be energy from sewage waste, wind (small-scale within built-up areas and larger scale on urban edges and between built-up areas) and solar, along with landfill methane. Agricultural land within the growth areas will also have potential for energy crops, with the added advantage of reduced transport distances to generation plants that will be easier to locate on urban/urban edge sites.
3.5 Previously developed sites and brownfield land will offer particular opportunities for developing large and small-scale renewable infrastructure, though they should not be the sole focus for such developments.
Settlements outside the growth areas
3.6 Though development rates will be lower than in the three Sustainable Communities Plan growth areas in the East of England, the potential for developing renewable energy technology and applying energy efficiency measures to new development will also be significant and should be fully realised.
3.7 These locations are also important for the application of energy efficiency measures and smaller-scale CHP. Renewable energy technology opportunities will be more limited, with solar and small-scale wind being most suitable. Settlement edges however, will have potential for larger-scale wind, energy crops, energy from sewage waste and landfill methane. Towns will also provide locations for siting generation plants for combusting energy crops from adjacent farms. Regeneration and refurbishment schemes will provide further opportunities by way of retro-fitting energy saving and renewable energy technology equipment like solar panels.
3.8 In addition to the above, coastal ports have considerable potential for using existing infrastructure, port facilities and their employment base as on-shore bases to service expanding offshore wind energy developments. It is vital that this is realised, given that offshore wind will form a major part of the region’s contribution to renewable energy and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
3.9 Previously developed sites and brownfield land will offer particular opportunities for developing large and small-scale renewable infrastructure, though they should not be the sole focus for such developments.
Non-designated landscapes
3.10 These will be primarily agricultural land and woodland, covering the majority of the region’s area. They will be the principal locations for large-scale developments associated with wind, biomass and agricultural wastes, with their related combustion plants and infrastructure. Such landscapes will also be appropriate locations for smaller-scale developments, including small groups of, or individual, turbines, hydro schemes and biogas from small sewage plants. Potential for using these developments has a focus for regenerating the rural economy should be a major policy objective of local development documents. In this context, there will be considerable scope for communitybased schemes, and links should be made to parish mapping and community renewable exercises.
3.11 Generation plants for combusting energy crops should be located as closely as possible to crop source on farms and/or woodlands, or on the edge of or within settlements. Previously developed sites such as abandoned airfields will offer particular opportunities for developing large- and small-scale renewable infrastructure, though they should not be the sole focus for such developments.
Designated landscapes
3.12 The areas that have been statutorily designated internationally and nationally for the protection of their landscape quality, coastal heritage, biodiversity, cultural and heritage interests are identified in the relevant policies of this RSS and illustrated on map 9.2.
3.13 Areas subject to these designations will not be suitable for the construction of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure, especially wind-turbines. However, small-scale developments of single turbines, or small turbine groups associated with settlements or buildings, and developments associated with energy crops, hydro schemes and biogas from small sewage plants could be permitted, subject to very sympathetic design, location and substantial mitigation measures.
3.14 Generation plants for combusting energy crops should be located as closely as possible to crop source on farms and/or woodlands, or on the edge of or within settlements. Previously developed sites such as abandoned airfields will offer particular opportunities for developing small-scale renewable infrastructure, though they should not be the sole focus for such developments. Developers should be required to undertake assessments to demonstrate that adverse impacts can be satisfactorily addressed. They should also show that that there is an overriding need for the development in terms of local social and economic conditions.
3.15 Local development documents should not identify buffer zones around statutorily protected designations. However, substantial infrastructure developments should not be located where they will have a prominent impact on the integrity of a designated area. Other proposals for sites adjacent to designated areas should be dealt with on their merits and incorporate specific measures to mitigate their impact.
3.16 PPS22 (Renewal energy) contains guidance on the treatment of applications in green belts.
4. Technology-based criteria
4.1 Local development documents, supported by supplementary planning guidance, should specify detailed criteria specifying energy efficiency standards in excess of the minimum. For residential developments this should be expressed in terms of an energy rating such as a ‘SAP rating’, or National Home Energy Rating (NHER), or Building Research Establishment’s ‘Ecohomes’ environmental rating. Local planning authorities should require that all new residential development achieve an NHER of at least 10. Non-domestic buildings can be assessed through BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). This provides guidance on ways of minimising the adverse effects of buildings on the environment, both locally and globally.
4.2 Local development documents, supported by supplementary planning guidance, should specify detailed locational criteria related to the following renewable energy technologies. These criteria should focus on encouraging the development of such technologies and mitigating their effects, rather than as a basis for justifying the refusal.
Solar photovoltaic
4.3 Local development documents should encourage the use of solar photovoltaic in/on:
• built-up areas/ industrial sites
• large and modern buildings in urban and rural areas
• leisure facilities
• remote areas where there is no overriding detriment to the character of groups of buildings or individual buildings.
Solar thermal
4.4 Local development documents should encourage solar thermal wherever possible. The same criteria as for solar photo-voltaic apply.
Wind
4.5 Local development documents should encourage the development of wind turbines either in large groups (wind farms) or in smaller groups.
4.6 Large groups of turbines should be permitted in non-designated landscapes, where there is minimal effect on settlements or individual dwellings through noise or immediate visual intrusion.
4.7 Small groups or individual turbines may be permitted in all types of landscape (see area-based criteria above) and may benefit individual farms/dwellings in remoter areas. Such turbines will need to be designed and located so as to make use of natural cover and local topography. In built-up areas (within settlements) local development documents should develop (detailed) criteria to mitigate against noise and harm to existing infrastructure and traditional features/listed buildings.
Small Scale Hydro
4.8 Local development documents should encourage small-scale hydro in all types of landscape. In many cases planning permission may not be required. local development documents should develop detailed criteria against over-zealous water abstraction, diversion of water courses and damage to ecological/archaeological sites and/or listed buildings.
Biomass
4.9 Local development documents should encourage the production of fuels from:
• agricultural waste (e.g. slurry)
• poultry litter
• energy crops
• sewage waste.
4.10 Infrastructure associated with the above is acceptable in all landscape types (see area-based criteria) but detailed criteria should be developed to mitigate against noise, potential emissions to the atmosphere, excessive transport of raw material over long distances by road, harm to water courses and ecological sites.
Combined heat and power (CHP)
4.11 local development documents should encourage both large and small scale CHP development. For large-scale developments, there is considerable potential for CHP use by commercial, leisure, corporate buildings, and by public services such as hospitals, and administrative offices, colleges and universities.
4.12 In built-up areas, local development documents should develop a range of criteria which mitigate against noise and emissions to the atmosphere.
4.13 In rural areas, local development documents should develop detailed criteria, which mitigate against noise, emissions to the atmosphere, undue landscape intrusion and excessive transport of raw material by road.
4.14 Special care should be taken to minimise the effect of transmission lines emanating from CHP buildings, particularly in sensitive and protected landscapes.
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