The Scottish Government

Name

Mike Greaves

Job title

Head of Development & Strategy

Organisation

The Highland Council

Address

Planning & Devt. Service, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX

Telephone

01463 702260

Fax

01463 702298

Email

mike.greaves@highland.gov.uk

1 Aquatera Ltd (Environmental Consultants)

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Highland Renewable Energy Strategy and Planning Guidelines ( HRES)

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

The Highland Renewable Energy Strategy and Planning Guidelines ( HRES) is a recently approved (May 2006) supplementary policy statement - it is the first such comprehensive strategy in Scotland and presages most of the Executive's requirements of local planning authorities as recently outlined in draft SPP6. It covers all forms of renewable energy development for extensive landward areas and territorial waters totalling over 40,000 km ². Key guidance addresses

• the nature, location and scale of appropriate future renewable energy developments.
• the promotion of local economic development potential.
• measures to secure community benefit and environmental safeguards.
• assessment of grid infrastructure and industry/training implications.

In late 2004, the Council faced an increasing backlog of renewable energy planning applications, principally onshore wind and hydro schemes. Related planning policy was dated and inadequate ( NPPG6, 1999 and the Highland Structure Plan, 2001). With growing public controversy and little prospect of new detailed national guidance, the Council decided to expedite a comprehensive and sustainable strategy for this key sector.

The Highlands contain abundant world class renewable energy resources set amongst internationally acclaimed scenic, cultural and natural heritage features. Properly developed these can help bring improved wellbeing by lifting employment and living standards locally. They can also help make significant inroads into the eradication of fuel poverty and deliver carbon savings. Exploiting Highland's competitive advantage in this sphere will make a meaningful contribution to ambitious Scottish, UK and European targets to cut emissions and improve overall security of energy supplies through generation of power from diverse indigenous sources. In return, substantial national investment is required to ensure timeous and environmentally appropriate grid connections south from the Highlands.

This Strategy seeks to inform future decisions, influence policy makers and promote a positive Highland vision while maximising the gain and minimising the impact of renewable energy developments in the Highlands - steering the right development to the right places in good time. At its heart are locational policy guidelines for each renewable energy source which advise developers, communities and conservation interests on preferred development, possible (search) and sensitive/safeguarded zones. These policies are underpinned by a comprehensive database and simulation model which combines over four million items of data relating to energy resources, production cost factors and community/environmental constraints. This has allowed extensive modeling of alternative production scenarios/targets. The Strategy also explores the scope for renewables to contribute to the wider wellbeing of the Highland community - improved transparency in decision procedures and processes; maximising local economic/industrial content; improving the local skills-base; development of major power-consuming industries; identification of key power transmission routes; encouragement for small-scale localised renewable energy schemes; securing community benefit/ownership, and; essential environmental enhancement or mitigation measures.

In May 2004 Highland Council, with some grant assistance from Highlands & Islands Enterprise, commissioned a comprehensive inventory of all forms of renewables energy potential for both landward and marine domains from environmental consultants, Aquatera Ltd. This anticipated the growing requirement for a comprehensive renewables development Strategy for the Highlands which was the subject of discussion at full Council on the 16 December 2004. Its preparation followed the process outlined in the next box. The Strategy was finalised by Planning Committee on the 19 April 2006 and approved at Council the following month. Total elapsed time for the policy was approximately 16 months, including a public deposit/consultation period of 3 months (twice the usual statutory Plan duration).

The Director of Planning & Development tabled an action paper at Committee on the 26 January 2005. This resulted in establishment of a Renewable Energy Working Group comprising elected Members and invited participants from a range of outside organizations supported by planning officials and Aquatera. A workplan was devised leading to delivery of the draft Strategy report for discussion at the Planning Committee meeting on 17 August 2005. Publicity got underway in early October. An extended community and technical consultation programme concluded 13 January 2006. More than 500 written responses and corresponding amendments were considered at a special Renewable Energy meeting of the Council held on 22 March 2006 which also heard presentations from a range of community and dedicated action groups. Detailed changes were finalised at Planning Committee in April.

The draft Strategy was prepared by a special Member Working Group which co-opted expertise from a number of external agencies, specifically; Highlands & Islands Enterprise; Scottish Natural Enterprise; VisitScotland (Highland); Scottish Renewables Forum and the Highlands & Islands Renewable Energy Group (Industry). These agencies contributed papers and specialist knowledge in considering the policy framework and options. However, the participants were explicitly not asked to support the consultative draft of the Strategy in order to protect the independence of the parent organisations and their ability to comment formally. The Working Group also heard presentations from a range of interested parties (including taking direct evidence from various pressure groups), technical experts and was serviced by specialist environmental consultants, Aquatera.

The Strategy was approved as supplementary policy in support of the Development Plan on 4 May 2006. All documentation is freely available on the Council's internet site and can also be supplied in paper and CD formats. HRES is now being used to:

• promote appropriate renewable energy development in the best Highland locations.
• form a material consideration in the determination of renewable energy planning applications in Highland.
• grow the volume of local business content by promoting partnering arrangements in contracts, R&D, vocational training and educational opportunities.
• secure local spinoff through enhanced levels of community benefit and equity-sharing/local ownership of renewables projects.
• as a basis for lobbying and seeking to influence national policymaking and regulatory activity in this complex and rapidly evolving sector.

HRES is a ground-breaking strategic planning policy framework underpinned by state of the art technical analysis and bold political vision. It demonstrates that the Planning system can respond quickly to intense development pressures, can skillfully mediate the balance of competing interests to find sustainable outcomes, and can resolve complex issues in a highly-charged and very public arena. Its essential 'fitness for purpose' is reflected by strong compliance with the Executive's more recently published draft SPP6 guidance.

28 August 2006