The UK Government recently published a policy paper – Nationally Significant Infrastructure: action plan for reforms to the planning process – setting out plans to speed up the planning and delivery process for large-scale infrastructure projects, including offshore wind farms.
This was welcomed, especially as we know the average timeline for an offshore wind project has been in excess of a decade. But is there a danger Scotland could be left behind?
Planning and environmental policy and legislation, including related consenting decisions, are currently devolved, which has allowed different policy stances on supporting onshore wind and resisting new nuclear here to the rest of the UK.
However, whilst Scottish Ministers have executive devolution on consenting decisions for strategic and major generating or transmission projects under the Electricity Act, the Act itself, along with other energy and regulatory legislation and policy, are reserved to Westminster. Any change would need to be agreed with and driven by the UK Government passing legislation – the Scottish Parliament simply does not have the constitutional power to make those changes https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/we-need-a-faster-and-leaner-consenting-regime-fit-to-address-climate-emergency-sarah-baillie-4057517?fbclid=IwAR3NLy4q_azZm06GeAM3fp2xFLNpPQt0_JRGAaNP1L2lSGHXkicMxedUnqI
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