Evidence Base
Print this pageA series of questions that will help plan-makers assess local potential for decentralised renewable and low-carbon technologies is available here. www.pas.gov.uk/pas/core/page.do?pageId=94348
The diagram below summarises the key considerations in assessing an area’s potential for renewable and low-carbon energy sources.
Source: PPS1 Climate Change Supplement Practice Guide (www.pas.gov.uk/pas/core/page.do?pageId=94346).
According to the PPS1 Supplement on Planning and Climate Change , planners “should have an evidence-based understanding of the local feasibility and potential for renewable and low-carbon technologies, including microgeneration, to supply new development in their area.” The evidence base should enable the development of policy and targets that are feasible and viable. It should also enable local authorities to draft policies and targets that reflect the area’s contribution to and impacts arising from climate change. www.hcaacademy.co.uk/planning-and-climate-change
The evidence base can be considered in three parts:
- Understanding the energy demands of existing development and any existing energy infrastructure (so as to identify the potential for connecting new and existing development and infrastructure)
- Understanding the energy demands of planned new development and identifying proposals or opportunities for energy infrastructure
- Understanding other constraints and opportunities for decentralised and renewable or low carbon energy (eg environmental land designations, local wind or biomass resource.
Click here for a PDF checklist for each part of the evidence base.
Further advice on what should be considered in establishing the local evidence base for renewable and low carbon energy is available here.
The evidence base should be presented as a series of maps where possible, to communicate the spatial distribution of the opportunities and constraints clearly. Superimposing different GIS layers, such as the location of sources of existing and planned energy demand, available renewable and low carbon energy resources, and local environmental land designations, will help local policies and targets to be developed.
1. Example of reduction of energy use achieved in existing buildings under HECA, for each Housing Market Area in the East Midlands.
Source: Faber Maunsell and EDAW|AECOM
2. Heat map of London produced using utility data as part of the DECC Potential for District Heating Study
Source: Faber Maunsell and EDAW|AECOM
3. Wind potential mapping produced for an evidence base for Dover District Council. The study assessed wind speed and limitations due to transport infrastructure, land designations, proximity to buildings, and topology.
Source: Faber Maunsell and EDAW|AECOM
Local authorities will need to draw from a range of data sources to build their evidence base. Examples of data on the existing building stock and associated energy demand are shown in the figure below.
Other information sources include:
- Regional or local studies (see energy resources and infrastructure)
- Published site-specific case studies
- Reviews of successful on-site renewable policies
- Evidence from strategic housing market and land availability assessments
- Illustrative development appraisals
- Technical feasibility studies
Local data should be used where available in preference to regional or national information sources.
Developing an evidence base in partnership with neighbouring local authorities will help to maximise local opportunities, which may cross geographical boundaries and require collaboration across different organisations for effective and efficient delivery. For example, working with the waste authority will be important so that the potential opportunities for energy recovery from waste are maximised.
Working in partnership at this stage should also reduce the resource requirements for individual authorities. Still, developing and maintaining a robust evidence base is time consuming and resource intensive. To get the best value out of it, the spatial understanding that it provides should also be used to plan and provide energy infrastructure and technologies beyond planning and development control, i.e. in managing the local authority’s estate, developing sustainable community strategies or reviewing economic policy.
