The long-awaited publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) this summer received a broadly warm welcome. For energy developers in particular, the new framework places a promising focus on national strategy and net zero ambition. By building increased flexibility in to planning infrastructure, the latest updates could help result in swifter, more agile planning approvals explains Chris Calvert, Executive Director – Planning, Pegasus Group.
The updated NPPF recognises the crucial role of renewable energy projects in the UK’s decarbonisation and future grid reform. It contextualises the planning process within a wider policy landscape, including Clean Energy 2030, updated guidance from Historic England on renewable energy development, and National Policy Statements. It lifts further restrictions on British onshore wind, which has laboured under what amounted to a policy prohibition on new projects since 2016, and could represent a considerable step forward in the UK’s clean energy transition and energy security goals.
The key changes for energy developments
Where renewable energy projects previously would have been granted ‘significant’ weight by decision makers, the new NPPF upgrades this to ‘substantial’ and removes the onus on clean energy developers to demonstrate need. In practice, this means that when a planning benefits assessment is undertaken as part of an application, decision makers are more likely to prioritise the substantial advantages of the project over potential harms.
Under the new NPPF, Local Plans that may contradict local energy policy should now also carry limited weight in planning decisions. This is a positive change, as some Local Plans do not contain the modern energy policies to prioritise the benefits of renewables over potential ‘harms’. Whilst this will benefit projects of all scales, it is a particular advantage for larger schemes, which can generate more ‘harms’.
A new renewable energy project also no longer needs to be placed on a site that has been marked as ‘suitable’ within an existing Local Plan. This rightly acknowledges that the renewable energy industry already has considerable experience in selecting suitable sites, taking into account critical factors like access to grid connection capacity. By allowing developers to look outside of designated ‘suitable’ areas, the new NPPF reflects confidence in industry expertise, and a willingness to let the planning system to adapt to evolving business and economic needs.
New NPPF benefits for onshore wind
The revised NPPF builds on national policy changes in 2024 to lift a de facto ban on new onshore wind projects. This ban was rooted in a policy that required local support for onshore wind projects before applications could be considered. Analysis in The Guardianrecently found that new wind farm planning applications have hit a ten-year high, which reflects the impact that reversing this policy has already begun to have in the infrastructure pipeline. The new NPPF’s explicit commitment to more flexible renewable energy infrastructure planning could in turn increase the number of eventual approvals.
The new NPPF’s provision to attribute substantial weight to life-extension and re-powering of renewable sites is another positive sign for the UK’s onshore wind industry. A rising number of onshore wind sites are approaching the end of their original consents and the NPPF should make it easier for them to be re-powered with taller, more efficient turbines. Updated noise guidance for wind turbines was also published in June this year, aiming to strike a balance between controlling noise pollution without placing unreasonable restrictions on development. Taken alongside this new guidance, the NPPF reflects a decisive shift towards a more ambitious national onshore wind strategy.
The new NPPF recognises the scale of the UK’s net zero ambitions and the strategic development that will be needed to achieve it. It aligns more closely with existing policy, like the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which grants regional mayors new powers to call in decisions on planning applications of strategic importance.
Some concerns remain around ambiguity in the NPPF’s wording, such as that government-set deployment targets could be misread as a limit rather than a floor by Local Authorities, resulting in refused permissions where a technology target has been ‘met’. However, if these points can be clarified, the framework could introduce a swifter, more flexible route to planning approval – both for the clean energy landscape of 2026 and into the future.
