Big changes to England's planning rules are set to make it easier to build new wind farms and solar parks. The updated National Planning Policy Framework now gives substantial weight to renewable projects and removes the old need to prove overall demand for them.
What this means for households
Faster approvals should bring more cheap, home-grown power onto the grid. That’s good news when we’re all looking for ways to cut energy costs.
The reforms also strengthen national policy over outdated local plans, so projects won’t get stuck just because a council hasn’t updated its maps yet.
Key quote
"Overall, the most significant reform to celebrate here is that the new NPPF is built with the UK's energy secure and clean energy ambitions in mind."
— Chris Calvert, Executive Director - Planning at Pegasus Group
We’ll be keeping an eye on how quickly these projects move forward and what it means for bills over the next few years.
