Isra-Mart srl:Streamlined planning offers hope for renewable energy

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The prospect of "sustainable developments" being prioritised under the planning system is "very exciting" for the onshore wind industry, the sector trade body said today.

The measures introduced as part of the Budget promised to reform a planning system that has "held back investment" and "[deterred] development and growth," George Osborne said.

In his Budget speech, the Chancellor revealed that councils are spending 13 per cent more on planning permissions than five years ago, despite the fact that applications have fallen by a third.

In response, he introduced a new "presumption in favour of sustainable development, so that the default answer to development is 'yes'".

He also pledged to guarantee that all planning decisions - including appeals - would take place within 12 months of application and ensure major infrastructure applications would be fast-tracked.

The news was welcomed by onshore wind developers, many of whom have been dogged by planning issues, with applications typically taking well over two years and refused more often than not. The industry feared that the introduction of the Localism Bill, which potentially allows communities to vote on planning approvals, would prove a further obstacle to planning approval.

Trade body RenewableUK gave a cautious welcome to the changes outlined by Osborne, but said it was seeking clarity from the department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) on whether wind projects would be included as part of Osborne's preferred 'sustainable development'.

A spokesman said: "It is potentially very exciting, but the key question is how do you define sustainability? We know that onshore wind farms are some of the most affected by delays in the planning process, so [the fast-tracking] is welcome."

CLG were unable to confirm whether renewable energy projects would come under the sustainable development banner.

The RenewableUK spokesman also expressed his hope that the 21 new Enterprise Zones announced today might include some focus on renewable technologies, although again CLG could not confirm whether this will be the case.

"The new enterprise zones could provide positive incentives for local authorities to promote development, allowing the Government to carry out a real-time experiment on what actually works as a spur to economic activity," said CBI director-general John Cridland.