Local Energy Planning: Landscape and Community Graham McGrath Centre for Sustainable Energy
Who are we? Free planning advice for neighbourhood planning groups to incorporate “low carbon” neighbourhood plan policies: renewable energy & energy efficiency sustainable transport flooding and extreme weather Green infrastructure & biodiversity Published guidebook, collating exemplar low carbon policies www.cse.org.uk/projects/view/1343
Recent developments in the political landscape of renewable energy Recent developments in the political landscape of renewable energy? How do these influence us, as community energy groups and neighbourhood planners?
In 2015 New onshore windfarms became the cheapest way for a power company to produce electricity in Britain, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). They became 26% cheaper per megawatt hour (MWh) than coal or gas-fired plants. Also in 2015……………….. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government effectively placed a moratorium on onshore wind.
How did we arrive at an effective moratorium on the cheapest form of electricity generation?
The Social Gap
Understanding the ‘social gap’ Disjoint between high levels of support for renewables nationally, but strong resistance locally. Planning policy-making ignores values-based considerations. Place attachment Distributive fairness Procedural justice
How did we arrive at an effective ban on onshore wind? Communities hosting wind farms felt they were having it done to them, with little influence on what happened / where. Technocratic top-down approach planning policy ignores: Place attachment - an individual’s personal, emotional bond to a place Distributive fairness - that the benefits of a development accrue in way that appears transparent and reasonable Procedural justice - that the process by which a development has happened is fair, as well as the outcome itself
How do we move beyond this deadlock?
Future Energy Landscapes – joint project with CPRE Series of pilot energy workshops Discussion of local landscape – how it was viewed and valued, used and how it had changed. Explanation of various renewable energy options Main feature - Energy Game – could their neighbourhood contribute to Renewable Energy generation / what might be acceptable / considering trade-offs between different options. Public discussion with wider community www.cse.org.uk/projects/view/1315
Allows time for community learning A new approach? ‘Grounding in place’ Appropriate geographical scale: considers energy infrastructure in real, not abstract terms Allows time for community learning Creates space for community reflection
Key principles for policy-makers Ten key principles for policy-makers are highlighted in our FEL report. Four really stand out for me.. Devolve more power to the very local level Properly resource local energy planning Resist the temptation to over-rule local decisions Focus on ownership and control
Landscape considerations when planning for energy through the neighbourhood plan process
Energy planning considerations in urban areas Limited space? High density of historic buildings? Industrial areas? Congested roads?
Appropriate renewable technologies? What is appropriate ? What isn’t? what do you think?
Energy planning considerations in rural areas Visual impacts on landscape? Able to connect to the grid? Are there nearby users? Landscape impacts ? Connection to the grid? Able to use pre-existing conditions? Making the most of existing landuse?
Appropriate renewable technologies? What is appropriate ? What isn’t? what do you think?
Landscape impact versus Land take impact?
A solar array covering 17000 sq. meter will have a capacity of around 1.2MW – enough to power 362 homes. One 85m wind turbine only takes approximately 5 sq. meter worth of land but generates 2MW enough to power 1,000 homes However! The landscape impact is far greater
Energy Planning in Suffolk
Break out session Developing our own ground up energy strategy for Suffolk? Who are the key influencers? Who is most engaged in the process?
Break out session