Contact: Richard Coles, ext 6747 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

That the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister be informed that the County Council:

(i) welcomes and supports the broad intentions of Draft New Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy;

(ii) supports the inclusion of energy from waste (but not energy from mass incineration of domestic waste) and landfill and sewage gas within its definition of sources of renewable energy;

(iii) considers that Planning Policy Statement 22 should promote the use of landscape character assessment for assessing appropriate locations for renewable energy developments; and

(iv) believes that Planning Policy Statement 22 should include appropriate cross references to other planning policy statements and planning policy guidance.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports Aim 2 of the Corporate Strategy (Stewardship of the environment) by supporting the Government commitment to address climate change issues and cut emissions of all greenhouse gases, through the promotion of renewable energy generation, by responding to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister request for comments on the draft of a new Planning Policy Statement on renewable energy.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Not to offer a response to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This option was rejected because the Draft New Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy sets out the Government's broad policy objectives relevant to renewable energy in England, and its proposed planning policies that will help deliver these objectives. These will need to be taken into account by local planning authorities in their development plan policies; they may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications. It is appropriate that the County Council makes its views known on the document.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7. Background

7.1 On 5 November 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) published a Consultation Paper on a draft of a new Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) on Renewable Energy. The intention is that PPS22 should, in due course, replace Planning Policy Guidance Note 22 (PPG22), Renewable Energy, which was published in February 1993. Consultation on the draft of PPS22 will run until 30 January 2004. A copy of the consultation paper on PPS22 is available in the Environment Department Library.

7.2 The main thrust of PPS22 is to provide the broad policy objectives to help deliver renewable energy development. It begins by setting out the international target to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050 and national targets to achieve 10% electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2010 and move towards 20% by 2020.

8. Key Points from the Consultation Paper

8.1 Regional planning guidance should include minimum targets for renewable energy generation for 2010 and 2020. Regional planning bodies should monitor the progress towards meeting these targets and the targets should be reviewed and revised upwards (if they are met) subject to the region's renewable energy resource potential and capacity.

8.2 Sub-regional targets and breakdown of renewable energy generation by technologies may be provided for guidance but should not be fixed targets for specific technologies, which are considered to be too restrictive in the light of rapid technological change bringing forward new sources of renewable energy.

8.3 Offshore renewables should be given a separate target, as they are outside the control of the planning system, but the potential to generate offshore should not be used to set lower targets for onshore projects.

8.4 PPS22 does not cover energy efficiency within buildings.

8.5 PPS22 includes energy from waste (but not energy from mass incineration of domestic waste), and landfill and sewage gas within its definition of the sources of renewable energy.

8.6 Development plan policies for renewable energy development should:

(i) promote and encourage, rather than restrict, the development of renewable energy resources;

(ii) set out criteria for assessing renewable energy applications, but these should not rule out or place constraints on the development of all, or specific types of, renewable energy technologies;

(iii) give significant weight to the wider environmental and economic benefits of proposals as well as the immediate impact on the local environment;

(iv) allow flexibility for technological change to increase potential for developments;

(v) only allocate specific sites if developers confirm they are viable and can be brought forward within the plan period;

(vi) recognise that renewable energy resources can only be developed where an economically feasible resource exists and not use a sequential approach in the consideration of renewable energy projects; and

(vii) apply to both rural and urban areas.

8.7 Local planning authorities should foster community involvement in renewable energy projects and seek to promote knowledge of and greater acceptance by the public of prospective renewable energy developments that are appropriately located.

8.8 Developers are advised that they should:

(i) engage with local communities early in the process; and

(ii) demonstrate environmental, economic and social benefits as well as how any environmental and social impacts have been minimised through careful consideration of location, scale, design, noise and visual impacts, along with means of mitigation.

8.9 In sites of international importance for nature conservation, planning permission should only be granted for renewable energy development once an assessment has shown that the site will not be adversely affected.

8.10 In sites with national designations, planning permission for renewable energy projects should only be granted where it can be demonstrated that the objectives of the designation of the area will not be compromised and any adverse effects are clearly outweighed by the environmental, social and economic benefits. Small-scale developments should be permitted within areas such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Heritage Coasts, provided that there is no serious environmental detriment to the area concerned.

9. Director of Environment's Comments

9.1 The broad intentions of Draft New PPS22: Renewable Energy are welcomed. The main difference between this document and the previous PPG22 is that the new document follows the substantial promotion of renewable energy set out in Government guidance over the last few years. This is driven by the commitment to address climate change issues and cut emissions of all greenhouse gases as part of the Kyoto protocol.

9.2 The previous guidance was based on limited expectations of renewable energy development and concentrated on minimising the harm from such developments. The new document is based on an expectation of developments across the country in a wide range of locations. It also sets out the need to balance any harm caused by such developments against the wider environmental benefits and need to achieve the targets set for electricity generation from renewable sources.

9.3 The guidance should make the achievement of planning consents for renewable energy smoother for all parties involved, due to the increased prominence given to the issues and the direction to local authorities to encourage such development.

9.4 Hampshire generates a significant amount of electricity from closed landfill sites in the county and supports the inclusion of this source of energy within the ODPM's definition of sources of renewable energy in line with the definitions set out in the Government's Renewables Obligation.

9.5 However, there are still sensitive issues to be taken into account and the onus is still largely on the developer to demonstrate the acceptability of proposals measured against the criteria set by local authorities. In the interests of clarity it is considered that PPS22 should include all appropriate references to other Government guidance, including PPG7: The Countryside, to ensure a joined up approach to the issue of renewable energy.

9.6 With regard to the issue of landscape assessment in planning for renewable energy there is a concern that the emphasis of PPS22 is on designated landscapes rather than on landscape character. It is considered that landscape character assessment should be used to assess the appropriateness of proposed locations for renewable energy developments.

9.7 Hampshire County Council is actively promoting renewable energy in the county, undertaking assessments of the resources available, including hydro power and onshore wind, and is a lead partner in the Natural Light Project which is addressing the issues of community involvement in and support for renewable energy.

8462/RC