planning

​The government is set to remove a significant barrier to utility-scale storage sites, proposing changes to planning regulations to allow projects over 50MW to proceed without government approval.

As the tariff and potentially export payment regimes comes to an end, never before has it been more important to look at alternative means to ensure rooftop solar continues to play a part in national decarbonisation. However, international comparisons raised at an event yesterday demonstrate how more needs to be done to move the conversation on from tariffs to planning, with the government far from off the hook.

Developers of large scale solar farms are facing a 20% increase in planning fees after the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) chief planner confirmed changes days before Christmas.

Huntingdonshire District Council is to prioritise solar over onshore wind developments as it seeks to bolster renewables in the area.