Planning woes 'holding up green drive'

FARMERS and landowners are expected to play a major role in helping the Scottish Government achieve its aim of being able to generate 100 per cent of the country's electricity requirement from renewable sources by 2020.

However, the National farmers Union of Scotland has made it clear to John Swinney, secretary for finance, employment and sustainable growth, that this aim is being frustrated by difficulties encountered in the planning system.

In a letter to Mr Swinney, union boss Nigel Miller has stated that feedback from members interested in the technology has shown that a major stumbling block to progress has been the lack of clarity in planning.

Members have also expressed concerns over the "overload" within the planning system. "We have a growing list of incidents where members believe planning authorities have failed to provide proportionate pathways for micro and major developments.

"There are also cases relating to inconsistency in the standards demanded from applications."

Miller added that grid capacity was also becoming a significant limiting factor in future developments.

The union would like the government to set up an independent expert group to tackle such issues. This group would ensure that the protocols and standards needed to guide future investment and planning decisions around renewables were set and agreed at a national level.

The expert group would, the union believes, be able to use the recently published 2020 Routemap for Renewable Energy as a guide for providing a defined role that would be played by all energy generating technologies - wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion, biomass and energy crops.

"For the growing number of interested businesses, it would be of considerable benefit were they to receive a clear steer on the mix of technologies, the prioritisation of grid development and the roles of micro and major generation schemes in Scotland," said Miller.

He described the government's commitment to renewable energy as positive. "It will not only contribute to world-leading climate change targets, but will also lay the foundations for a new green economy with positive spin-offs for Scottish technology and engineering.

"To date, the transformation of Scotland's energy base has been dramatic and the ambitious goal of having the capacity to generate 100 per cent of our electricity requirement from renewable sources by 2020 is looking increasingly attainable.

"Farmers, crofters and landowners have already played a major part in this green revolution, and on-farm investment and collaboration will continue to be a key part of the growth in generation capacity."