Scottish Government

Planning for renewable electricity and heat is a key strand of climate change mitigation as we move to a low carbon society.

Planning has a key role in supporting a diverse mix of onshore and offshore renewables and has to be proactive in maximising opportunities in these challenging and fast-moving sectors.

The planning system’s focus is on providing guidance on the locations where particular renewables are most likely to be appropriate as well as shaping the criteria to be taken into account in the determination of applications.

Policy Aims

Scottish Government Policy is to generate the equivalent of 100% of Scotland's gross annual electricity consumption , the equivalent of 11% of Scotland's heat demand met from renewable sources and 500 MW of community and locally-owned renewable energy, all by 2020.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) supports the installation of a wide range of renewable energy technologies to help achieve these targets, including energy storage.

Also Worth Seeing

Online renewables planning advice, which will be regularly updated to reflect best practice, can be found below:-

• Onshore wind turbines (Last Updated October 2012)
• Wind Farm Developments On Peat Land (Published June 2011)
• Process for preparing spatial frameworks for wind farms (Last Updated August 2012)
• Hydro schemes (Last Updated July 2012)
• Woody biomass (Last Updated July 2012)
• Landfill gas (Published and Updated February 2011)
• Energy from waste (Published and Updated February 2011)
• Anaerobic digestion (Published and Updated February 2011)
• Deep geothermal (Updated March 2012)
• Large photovoltaic arrays (Published February 2011)
• Energy storage (Published February 2011)
• Microgeneration (Updated March 2013)
• Planning and Heat (Published May 2013)

Relevant information
2020 Routemap for Renewable Energy in Scotland	Renewable Heat Action Plan for Scotland (November 2009)	Archive Information on Section 71 Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 - Permitted Development Rights for microgeneration on non-domestic buildings
Securing the Benefits (Consultation)	Blue Seas Green Energy	Archive Information on Additional Resources for Panning Authorities – Wind Turbine Applications – Assessment of Bids
Scotland's Zero Waste Plan	Community Renewable Energy Toolkit	Letter from Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and Derek Mackay, Minister for Local Government and Planning concerning Onshore Wind - Planning issues and support
National Renewables Infrastructure Plan	Letter issued by Derek Mackay, Minister for Local Government and Planning, concerning Wind Turbine Moratorium at Fife Council	Letter issued by Derek Mackay, Minister for Local Government and Planning, concerning Wind Turbine Moratorium at Moray Council
Relevant organisations
The Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit	Scottish Renewables	Scottish Energy Advisory Board
Scottish Natural Heritage	Scottish Environment Protection Agency	Ministry of Defence

 

For further information on Planning and Renewable Energy please contact:

Allen Hughes
0131 244 5906

Simon Bonsall
0131 244 7546