The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) welcomes the government's key steps outlined in the Clean Power 2030 strategy. These measures are essential for delivering a clean, sustainable energy future while ensuring that planning and infrastructure development align with environmental and community needs.
Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “The government has outlined its plan for the UK’s clean energy future, recognising the strong foundations of our planning system and the pivotal role it will play in delivering that future.
“To get there, we will need to utilise a core role of the planning system: cooperation and collaboration, drawing together our housing, nature and energy infrastructure. We believe the best way to achieve this is through a national spatial framework, coordinating land use at a national level to ensure that our homes are built in the right places, powered by renewable energy, and integrated into a sustainable future.
“Measures taken to include onshore wind in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure regime and the commitment to updating National Policy Statements every five years are positive steps. These have long been called for by the RTPI to create more adaptable energy policy and help accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy system.
“However, as planners, we know that for plans to succeed in the long term, they must listen to and benefit the communities that will live with them. We welcome the government’s intention to introduce guidance on community benefits, particularly on community funds. Not all community benefits are appropriate, and it is essential that these measures truly support local communities as a whole."
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