GUIDANCE PURPOSES ONLY
KNOll to Wind Farm Action Group are not Town Planning experts. The information set out below is based on our understanding of the key planning documents and the process, which we have gleaned from Government web sites and publications. It should be used for guidance purposes only and should not be relied upon as a definitive guide to either the Town Planning process nor the planning policies and documents pertinent to the proposed wind farm developments.
If you spot an error, please let us know.
THE OVERALL PLANNING
SYSTEM
The Government’s
Planning Portal guidedance says;
“Planning is about how we plan for, and make decisions about,
the future of our cities, towns and countryside. Over the centuries, a formal
way of making these decisions was set up.
Your local planning authority is responsible for deciding
whether a development - anything from an extension on a house to a new shopping
centre - should go ahead.
Local planning authority usually means the district or borough
council - not the parish or town council.
The planning system is needed to control development in
your area.”
The local Planning Authority who will be reviewing the wind farm proposals is Sedgemoor District Council.
THE FRAMEWORK AGAINST
WHICH PLANNING DECISIONS ARE MADE
The
Government’s Planning Portal guidedance says;
The planning
system in England and Wales follows a plan-led system. This involves preparing
plans that set out what can be built and where. The plan-led system was updated
by an Act of Parliament (the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act) in December
2004.
Under
the new law there are now two main levels of plan:
- Regional Spatial Strategies - each Regional Planning Body (such
as the north-east of England) is preparing a Regional Spatial Strategy.
This sets out things such as how many homes are needed to meet the future
needs of people in the region, or whether the region needs a new major shopping
centre or an airport.
- Local Development Frameworks - Each local planning authority is
preparing a Local Development Framework. This is a folder of documents that
sets out how your local area may change over the next few years.”
Planning Policy Guidance
In addition to local plans as outlined above, the Government may choose to publish national policies to provide guidance to Planning Authorities. Such a policy note has been prepared for wind farms, and is known as “PPS 22”. This is attached as a separate document.
Local Plans
The relevant local plans produced by Sedgemoor and the regions can be accessed at
HOW DOES THE PLANNING APPLICATION PROCESS WORK
The diagram below sets out our current understanding of how the process will work for this application. This is based on various Governmental sources. We are taking advice from both planning consultants and Sedgemoor DC about the process, and the diagram below may be updated.
RIGHT OF APPEAL
The Government Planning Portal says
“Only the person who made the application for planning
permission can appeal. Appeals should be made to the Planning Inspectorate
which is part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).Appeals are
considered by a planning inspector, appointed by the First Secretary of State
in England or, in Wales, by the National Assembly. Most are handled in writing.
Some are decided by a hearing before an Inspector. A few are decided after
a public inquiry.”