2nd Report - Gridlock or growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos
Select Committee
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
HC 868
7 July 2025
Government Response (AI assessment · 46 of 46 classified)
Accepted
22
Acknowledged
10
Deferred
6
Rejected
2
Government response
2nd Special Report - Gridlock or Growth? Avoiding energy planning chaos: Government Response · published 19 Nov 2025
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
9
Conclusion
Rejected
Recognise regional capacities and optimal areas for energy technologies as material considerations in NPS.
Conclusion
We acknowledge the concern that strategic plans should not predetermine the outcome of any application for development consent. However, neither should the planning system be blind to the very existence of such plans and, most importantly, to their possible impact …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects making regional/zonal capacities and optimal areas explicit material considerations in the planning system, stating these should be incentivised through different mechanisms and such ranges have been removed from NPSs.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
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40
Recommendation
Rejected
Amend onshore wind guidance (EN-3) to presume against deep peat development and require carbon reporting.
Recommendation
The Government should amend the proposed new guidance on onshore wind in EN-3 to: • whilst recognising there are areas in which development on peat would be unavoidable, introduce a presumption against building onshore wind developments on deep peat; and …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges concerns about building wind farms on peatland but does not commit to amending the guidance to introduce a presumption against building on deep peat or requiring carbon emission reporting, stating that current protections within the planning system are sufficient.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
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