Draft national policy statement on energy 'fails in every respect', says RTPI

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 has now closed. The consultation 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.'