In last week's BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) Select Committee, Richard questioned Minister Greg Hands about the importance of urban environments and local residents when considering the siting of national energy infrastructure. To watch Richard's contribution, please visit this page. The meeting was to consider the draft Energy National Policy Statements (NPS) as part of the Committee's inquiry into the revised Energy NPS.
Speaking after the meeting, Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire said:
This was a particularly pertinent topic for me due to the recent discussions surrounding the siting of an electricity substation in Biggleswade.
Quite rightly, significant focus is given to protecting areas of outstanding natural beauty when decisions on siting infrastructure are being considered. I pointed out however, that the majority of the population live in more urban environments and more thought should be given to their surroundings and the impact that any such installations could have on their lives. Just because the government or the National Trust may value an urban environment less favourably than one of outstanding natural beauty, this does not mean that residents of the former should have their eyelines unnecessarily blighted by unsightly infrastructure projects, particularly where alternative solutions may be available.
The current suite of energy National Policy Statements were designated by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in 2011. The revised energy NPS were tabled by the Government on 20 September 2021 and set out the Government’s policy for the delivery of energy infrastructure and provide the legal framework for planning decisions in key energy policy areas. The Government announced a review of the current suite of energy National Policy Statements (NPS) in the Energy White Paper: Powering our net zero future in December 2020.
A public consultation was held in 2021 on the draft revised energy National Policy Statements, supporting habitats and sustainability reports. The principal purpose of this consultation was to identify whether the revised energy National Policy Statements presented are fit for purpose i.e. whether they provide a suitable framework to support decision making for nationally significant energy infrastructure. The NPS has effect for the decisions by the Secretary of State on applications for energy developments that are nationally significant under the Planning Act 2008. For such applications this NPS, combined with any technology specific energy NPS where relevant, provides the primary policy for decisions by the Secretary of State. The NPS must receive Parliamentary approval before new major energy infrastructure can be delivered.
