140: National Policy Statements set to continue under coalition government

This is entry number 140, first published on 15 June 2010, of a blog on the implementation of the Planning Act 2008. Click here for a link to the whole blog. If you would like to be notified when the blog is updated, with links sent by email, click here.

Today's entry sets out the latest on the fate of the draft National Policy Statements.

National Policy Statements (NPSs) are one of the cornerstones of the Planning Act regime, as they set out government policy on the need for infrastructure and the impacts that applicants should address in their applications and that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) should consider when examining them.

Twelve NPSs are expected altogether: Overarching Energy, Fossil Fuels, Renewables, Oil and Gas Storage and Pipelines, Electric Lines, Nuclear Energy, Ports, National Networks (roads and railways), Airports, Hazardous Waste, Waste Water and Water Supply.

Seven of those were issued in draft on 9 November 2009 (the first seven in the list above (up to and including Ports)) and were subject to public consultation until February 2010 and then Parliamentary scrutiny until April 2010.  Links to the drafts and the Parliamentary scrutiny can be found in this previous blog entry.

The change in government has left many wondering what will happen to the process and whether the original drafts and the consultation on them will be used or not.  Wonder no more - here is the latest news.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) informs me that it is more or less 'business as usual'.  DECC is proceeding with the six existing National Policy Statements despite the change in government and is producing a revised draft which Parliament will be asked to approve.  That last bit is a change - the Planning Act does not require Parliamentary approval of NPSs, but the Conservatives had pledged to introduce it in their Planning 'Green Paper' issued earlier in the year.

Meanwhile the Department for Transport informs me that the Ports NPS is also to continue, with a revised draft being produced in the light of the consultation.

Luckily, the new government's policy on energy and ports is not that different from its predecessor, and so the NPSs shouldn't need to change significantly due to the change in government.  Had the Airports NPS already been issued, that might have been a different story given that the main, and perhaps only, nationally significant infrastructure project it was likely to contain - a third runway at Heathrow - is now not going ahead.

There is no timescale given yet for the emergence of revised NPSs, nor for the publication of the remaining five draft NPSs.  The Department for Communities and Local Government (responsible for planning, and co-ordinating the new regime) is expected to issue a statement on the subject shortly.  Watch this space.

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