NPS on Energy a Failure say Planners!

NATIONAL PLANNING STATEMENT ON ENERGY A FAILURE SAY PLANNERS


24-Feb-10

Press Notice from the Royal Town Planning Institute

Wednesday 22nd February 2010 PR09

NATIONAL PLANNING STATEMENT ON ENERGY A FAILURE SAY PLANNERS

The RTPI, the professional body that represents 22,000 planners has submitted a robust response to the Government’s consultation on a National Policy Statement for Energy, which will determine how proposals to build new energy facilities are decided upon by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Matt Thomson, Acting Director Policy & Partnerships at the RTPI said:

“The draft national policy statement on energy is not fit for purpose. It makes no attempt to translate the national need for energy infrastructure into guidance on where such development should be located and so provides no reassurance for either potential investors, or indeed local communities.

We face a critical situation in providing the right framework to encourage investment into much needed new energy facilities, particularly as the Government has made strong commitments on reducing carbon emissions from energy.

The current energy policy statement markedly fails in this respect, disappointingly repeating and reinterpreting established Government policy but saying nothing new about where we as a nation should be going in terms of the location or timing of new energy infrastructure development. We have called for a National Planning Framework which would pull together the myriad of policies and guidance.”

ENDS
For further information please contact:

Jamie Hodge, RTPI Communications and Public Affairs Officer

T: 020 7929 8182

M 07826 849 165

E jamie.hodge@rtpi.org.uk