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Meeting of the Parliament 12 June 2013

12 Jun 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy

Mackay, Derek SNP Renfrewshire North and West Watch on SPTV

We are working on the definition of “wind farm”, but any reasonable person would understand that it means a number of wind turbines in a particular area. The policy in relation to group 1, “Areas where wind farms will not be acceptable”, constitutes an outright ban, for the first time, on wind farms in national parks and national scenic areas. I will be happy to get back to the member on wind turbines. I say again that individual planning applications are determined on their merits.

I welcomed the engagement of the renewables industry, which will continue as we approach 23 July—the end of the 12-week consultation. I am convinced that we can deliver on our renewables targets, providing greater opportunities and greater protection where that is required.

The challenge of climate change compels us to make the transition to a sustainable, growing, low-carbon economy. That is a key focus of our proposals for the third national planning framework. Sarah Boyack’s amendment notes that the climate change target for 2011 was missed, and it suggests that policies and investment are required to cut emissions further. We agree. The Government’s climate change second report on proposals and policies gives details of a package of measures to enable us to achieve our targets. We have already committed more than £1.1 billion over the current spending review period, specifically for action on emissions.

The amendment in Sarah Boyack’s name highlights the importance of the planning system to sustainable development and the importance of sustainable communities in helping to achieve Scotland’s climate change targets. We agree on those matters, too. I am pleased that Sarah Boyack appears to be so closely aligned with the Government, and I am happy to accept the amendment in her name.

I have already touched on what we propose for onshore wind energy through Scottish planning policy, but our ambitions for low-carbon energy infrastructure amount to far more than that. Grid enhancement is essential if we are to make the most of our natural energy resources, and NPF2 identified a suite of electricity grid enhancements as a national development. We propose to retain that in NPF3, updated to take account of current plans, particularly for offshore and international connections.

If we are to reap the maximum economic benefits from the low-carbon revolution, we must ensure that we have the necessary infrastructure and a welcoming environment for the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of renewable energy generation in Scotland. That is why we want to give support to some of our best opportunities to do so—to our low-carbon enterprise areas, sites in the national renewables infrastructure plan, and other clusters of energy-related activity in places such as Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire and the three island authority areas.

As part of our balanced energy mix, we very much want to see carbon capture and storage applied to gas and coal-fired power stations in Scotland. We have a number of projects in Scotland in which, with the right financial support, we can make that happen. The Peterhead carbon capture and storage project is an opportunity to develop the world’s first commercial-scale full chain carbon dioxide capture, transportation and storage project. It has secured preferred bidder status by the United Kingdom Government Department of Energy and Climate Change, and proposals for a new power station with CCS at Grangemouth remain on the reserve list.

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Meeting of the Parliament 12 June 2013

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