UK Inquiry Tracker

National planning for energy infrastructure

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 25 Apr 2025 Closed: 31 Dec 2025 Parliament page

The Government is launching an update to the National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure, which govern development consent for major energy installations. One of the leading aims of the policy update is to give greater clarity about the weight planners should give to competing interests including economic, ecological, energy supply … Read more The Government is launching an update to the National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure, which govern development consent for major energy installations. One of the leading aims of the policy update is to give greater clarity about the weight planners should give to competing interests including economic, ecological, energy supply and security, and even aesthetic considerations, which can severely slow or even halt infrastructure planning decisions in their tracks. And time is of the essence: Government's Clean Power 2030 target will require most new electricity transmission and offshore wind projects to secure planning consent by next year, and most large-scale onshore projects will need that consent by 2028. The Government has indicated that it wants to remove planning ‘blocks’ to the infrastructure development needed for its energy, industrial and growth strategies – but will these updates to the National Policy Statements fit the bill? Can they really help balance the thorny issues around the competing, legitimate aims and interests of national energy needs, local communities and the natural environment? A key example is the question of electricity cabling: it can cost up to ten times as much to bury power cables as to run them on pylons overhead. But strong community objections to pylons on mainly aesthetic grounds can hold up the necessary planning consents - time that national energy needs, targets and strategy now do not have. Where should the balance lie? Do the policy statement updates do enough to help planners decide? Alongside the Government’s consultation on the new policy statements the Committee is launching a quick call for evidence, seeking stakeholder views on the impact of the policy changes. Many stakeholders will be making detailed submissions to the Government consultation on the same short timeline: the Committee would welcome submission of the “highlights” or key elements of these more detailed responses to Government, to be considered by the Committee and synthesised into our own recommendations to the Government. On that basis, the Committee is seeking evidence submissions by 5pm on May 12th from all interested stakeholders on any or all of the following areas in the three updated National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure: Overarching National Policy Statement for energy (EN-1) National Policy Statement for renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3) National Policy Statement for electricity networks infrastructure (EN-5) Show less

22 Recommendations

24 Conclusions

1 Report

2 Oral sessions

2 Events

Activity timeline 6 events

19 Nov
2025

Report published

2nd Special Report - Gridlock or Growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos: Government Response

7 Jul
2025

Report published

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos

21 May
2025

Oral evidence

21 May
2025

Oral evidence

21 May
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

Oral evidence

21 May
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Oral evidence

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

21 May 2025

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence

Chandni Ruparelia · Island Green Power Charles Wood · Energy UK Charlotte Mitchell · National Grid Electricity Transmission Eleri Wilce · RWE Renewables Julian Leslie CEng FIET · National Energy System Operator (NESO) Lawrence Slade FEI · Energy Networks Associaiton

21 May 2025

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence

Ali Leeder · Aeos Infrastructure Planning Graham Gunby · Suffolk County Council Isobel Morris · Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Jackie Copley MRTPI · Campaign for Protection of Rural England Peta Donkin · National Infrastructure Planning Association Sam Richards · Britain Remade

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos	HC 868	7 Jul 2025	46	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 results

7 Recommendation Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Amend National Policy Statements to clarify their relationship and hierarchy with strategic plans.

The Government should amend the National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure to clarify the precise relationship and hierarchy between these documents and the strategic plans which the proposed updates endorse. (Recommendation, Paragraph 25)

Government Response

The government states it cannot pre-empt conclusions for plans still in development, deferring precise clarification and hierarchy details to future NPS updates and NESO's finalised methodologies once plans are published.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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17 Recommendation Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Review removing specific electricity distribution infrastructure from NSIP regime for faster delivery.

The Government should review whether some types of electricity distribution infrastructure should be removed from the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime and instead consented under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, to speed up delivery critical to Clean Power … Read more

Government Response

The government's response focused on community engagement and transparency within the existing NSIP regime and strategic plans (CSNP, SSEP), discussing future consultations and methodology publications. It did not address the specific recommendation to review whether certain types of electricity distribution infrastructure should be removed from the NSIP regime.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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35 Conclusion Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Systemic failures in delivering promised ecological and landscape mitigations are undermining planning system integrity.

We are gravely concerned by reports that many ecological enhancements and landscape mitigations promised by developers are never delivered in practice. This indicates systemic failings, brings the planning system into disrepute, and questions whether the Government will be able to … Read more

Government Response

The government acknowledges the committee's concerns regarding the non-delivery of ecological enhancements and mitigations but states that this issue cannot be addressed within the current NPS review timeframe and will be kept under review.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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36 Conclusion Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Require developers to identify specific suitable sites for offsite mitigations in consent applications.

National planning policy should require developers to identify specific sites, both suitable and available, for offsite landscape and environmental mitigations in their development consent applications. (Conclusion, Paragraph 85)

Government Response

The government states that applicants are already required to include mitigation measures and can seek compulsory acquisition for land, and it will introduce Environmental Outcomes Reports in due course. However, the specific issue of requiring developers to identify offsite mitigation sites will be kept under review as it cannot be addressed within the current NPS review timeframe.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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37 Recommendation Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Establish proportion of delivered ecological and landscape mitigations, reasons for failures, and solutions.

The Government should establish what proportion of ecological enhancements and landscape mitigations for energy infrastructure are delivered in practice, the most common reasons for lack of enforcement, and potential solutions. This analysis should consider offsite, as well as onsite, mitigations … Read more

Government Response

The government states that applicants are already required to include mitigation and enhancement measures, and EN-1 allows compulsory acquisition for mitigation land. It will introduce Environmental Outcomes Reports in due course, but the request to establish delivery rates and amend planning policy to increase developer responsibility will be kept under review as it cannot be addressed within the current NPS review timeframe.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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46 Recommendation Deferred

2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? A…

Update Agricultural Land Classification urgently to reflect climate change and farming practice impacts.

The Government should review and update the Agricultural Land Classification, as a matter of urgency, to reflect how factors such as climate change, soil degradation, changes to farming practices and technological advancements might affect productivity. (Recommendation, Paragraph 109) 59 Read more

Government Response

Defra states that the recent Land Use Consultation included a question on updating the Agricultural Land Classification system and that the government remains committed to reviewing and maintaining accurate classification data. This indicates the matter is under consideration via consultation rather than an immediate commitment to an urgent update.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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Government Response AI assessment · 46 of 22 classified

Accepted 22

Accepted in Part 6

Acknowledged 10

Deferred 6

Rejected 2

Total 22 recs + 24 conclusions