Training for the planning community
CSE has been working to build knowledge and understanding of renewables amongst planners and councillors since 2004.
By the end of 2009 CSE had delivered some 100 workshops on renewable energy and planning to more than 2,500 local councillors, planning officers and planning inspectors.
This has involved CSE designing and delivering a variety of different practitioner workshops targeted at different members of the planning community including:
- Policy and Evidence Base – covering national policy and legislation; renewable and low-carbon energy in the Practice Guide to the PPS Planning and Climate Change; developing evidence-based policies; assessing resources and constraints; and delivery mechanisms and monitoring
- Planning for Wind – covering aspects such as: national and regional policy; issues which typically arise with wind power developments; and, case studies presented as if to a planning committee
- Advanced Planning for Wind – covering, in more detail, aspects of wind power developments such as: wind turbine components, capacity factor and CO2 emissions savings; noise, infrasound and aerodynamic modulation; shadow flicker and photosensitive epilepsy; landscape and visual impact; and, telecommunications and aviation
- Micro-renewables – covered, in detail, aspects of small-scale renewables such as: national and regional policy; energy basics and energy use in buildings; micro-renewables for heating and cooling; micro-renewables for power; using the planning system to promote micro-renewables; and enforcing on-site targets
- Biomass – covered national and regional policy but it also looked in more depth at: biomass basics; emissions; planning applications; nondomestic woodfuel heating; and energy from waste
Training for planners in the issues surrounding biomass developments, Taunton 2010
In 2006 CSE conceived and created an on-line resource bank where planning officers, councillors or project developers can find material likely to be useful in assessing or drawing up large-scale renewable developments. This has recently been relaunched with more information and resources. For more information see www.planningrenewables.org.uk.
At the beginning of 2009, CSE launched the Expert Support Network for planners dealing with renewable energy planning applications. Enquiries to the service were made through the Planning Renewables website and planners could access anything from a few hours to a full days' worth of an expert's time, depending upon the nature of the query. Funding for the service finished in April 2010.