BASE HEADER

No

ID sylw: 106435

Derbyniwyd: 05/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Porterbrook Mid Leasing Company

Asiant : Planning Prospects

Porterbrook supports the draft policy in principle but the policy must include flexibility so that its criterion are only applicable to relevant types of large scale renewable energy generation and storage and where necessary for certain development sites. This is because some proposals for large scale renewable energy generation will be contained within previously developed sites and will not impact upon open countryside or result in adverse impacts on the local environment, landscape character, local amenity or local communities, and as such should not be required to provide wider community benefits by way of mitigation. Similarly, it would not be appropriate in all instances for all land around every renewable energy facility that is currently not used for agriculture to deliver carbon sequestration benefits and to protect local ecosystems, habitat or enhance biodiversity over and above the statutory requirements that would already be applied to relevant development in any event. Generally speaking, parts A. And B. Of the draft policy are supported and should be encouraged in accordance with sustainable development principles which underpin planning policy in any event. Part C. However will not apply to all proposals for large scale renewable energy generation and storage as in some instances the energy generated will be needed by those proposing the energy generation and storage in the first instance. In such circumstances, there should be no requirement for profit sharing or community ownership etc. As this will not be possible and would represent a planning policy burden that is unnecessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms, not directy related to the development proposed and would not be fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development proposed. For similar reasons, the wording after ‘cessation’ should be removed from part D. Of the draft policy as in some instances any large scale renewable energy generation and storage proposals would comprise an ancillary use to a wider principal use at a site and therefore there would not always be a requirement to restore the site to an original or alternative use.