The first six projects participating in the Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Planning Performance Agreement pilot programme have been confirmed.
For each project, developers and local planning authorities will receive expert support to develop a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA); a process which will enable them to clarify from the outset the requirements of each party for the effective processing of the application and agree a timetable for delivery.
Speaking about the programme at the Town and Country Planning Association Annual Conference on 1st December, Housing Minister John Healey said:
"I want to give green planning a green light and to make it as simple as possible to get the permission people need to build green developments that are vital for making the transition to a low-carbon economy.
"PPAs will give developers clarity about the decision-making process, and local authorities certainty about when and how green developments will be delivered. These pilots will set the standard for high-quality low carbon schemes."
The first six Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) are:
Community Wind Project (Doncaster). Proposal for two 2.5 MW wind turbines, which will return the £300k annual profits to the local community for investment in other energy projects.
Teesside Biomass Power Plant (Stockton on Tees). Proposal for a 48 MW biomass power plant. The development will generate electricity and supply heat to the Middlehaven development in neighbouring Middlesbrough. The scale of this project is large enough to produce electricity for over 50,000 homes.
Eden Project Geothermal Proposal (Cornwall). Proposal to drill to a depth of approx 3-4 kilometres and introduce water which would be heated by geothermal energy to 150 degrees before being returned to surface via a production well where it would be used to generate 3MWe. Heat and power could be used to power the nearby Eden Project and local community.
Sowerby Gateway (Hambleton). Proposal for 920 dwellings by 2026 of which 40 per will be affordable. The project will include offices and commercial space and will use Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as the main way of providing energy. The project may include biomass power generation plant that is capable of supporting a district heating system and a central solar heating plant to provide space heating for the mixed uses planned on site. Individual dwellings within the development may also incorporate solar PV to supplement the centralised heat/electricity facility.
Tees Valley Wind Farm (Stockton on Tees). Proposal will generate up to 20MW of renewable energy. In parallel with the wind farm proposals, the developer is discussing with local businesses an adjacent industrial estate re: the installation of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit to supply waste heat to local businesses and homes.
Zero Carbon House (Bolton). Proposal is for a 4 bedroom family home of approx. 820 sqm and associated turbine in Greater Manchester. The aim is to achieve CSH Code Level 5 as a minimum and to be exemplar not only in its innovative design but also in its compliance with UK government policy.
Support is still available through this programme and CLG and ATLAS are interested in hearing about any renewable/low carbon proposals in the pre-application stage (including those linked to new housing developments) which could benefit from a PPA. Further information can be found here. The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 10 February 2010.
