Planning and public acceptance

Planning and Public Acceptance

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Contact Information

AEA Contact Fiona Brocklehurst

Objectives/Work Plan

In 2008, the focus of RAB’s work is to deliver advice to the Secretary of State, BERR, on delivery of the UK’s share of the EU target for 20% renewable energy by 2020. In order to provide comprehensive, but targeted advice, RAB has established eight workstreams to supervise the delivery of defined tasks.

Influencing Public Acceptability of Renewables

Task 4	*Communications Sounding Board*
Activity:	Provide guidance and advice to BERR on framing the ‘renewables debate’, focussing on the UK, limits for trade off, and affordability.

*Task 5*	*Community Benefits Review*
Activity:	Revisit completed RAB work on community benefits in light of scale of new target, and provide clear advice to BERR on how perceptions of community benefits from renewables deployment can be improved and marketed.

*Task 6*	*Environmental Impact Assessment: Improving Habitats,Birds and Water Framework Directives Application in UK*
Activity:	BERR to lead by considering implications of EU Directives and then seek RAB view prior to further negotiation (BERR/Defra) with EU.

Advice on Planning Reforms

*Task 7*	*Scrutiny of National Policy Statements*
Activity:	Scrutinise and discuss drafts of the NPSs between now and autumn 2008, providing advice to BERR on content and impact of NPSs.

*Task 8*	*Marine Policy Statements*
Activity:	Keep a watch on marine legislation and planning (e.g. marine bill) to ensure adequate provision for large-scale future roll-out of marine generation technologies.

Influencing local and regional planning decisions

*Task 9*	*Impact of current planning reforms on local planning*
Activity:	Review impact of proposed reforms on TCPA process and consider improvements to Planning Bill via amendments. To do the same for DA planning reforms. In particular, consider the issue of equivalence.

*Task 10*	*Embedding national and EU renewables targets into local policy frameworks*
Activity:	Follow-on from Task 9. Examine how local and regional authorities currently transfer national renewables policy into local policy frameworks (e.g. LDFs, RSSs), culminating in a short report examining best practice and making recommendations on how the UK 2020 target can be best embedded into these policy frameworks over the coming years.

*Task 11*	*Providing expert advice and support to local planning community*
Activity:	Peer review of current BERR work, and present recommendations for future work programme activities.

RAB Documents