Wind power

Planning guidance

Installing a new wind turbine requires planning permission, the type of which is dependent on the size and location of the installation and whether the turbine is ground based or rooftop mounted.

It is likely that the planning requirements will soon change for certain sizes of wind turbines allowing smaller turbines to be installed without the need for full planning permission, but until such a time, the following applies.

Current national planning policy guidance on renewable energy is set out in PPS22: Renewable Energy. It encourages planning policies at regional and local levels to provide a positive framework for renewable energy solutions. Local Planning Authorities are expected to contribute to regional targets and policies, and guidelines in the local development documents should reflect this.

It is up to each Local Authority to decide what information should be provided with a planning application so it may be helpful to contact your Local Planning Authority to discuss their specific requirements. It is likely that you will need to supply existing and proposed plans and elevations, a design and access statement and a visual representation.

You may also be asked for further supporting information on subjects such as general design; visual appearance; noise; fit for purpose; conservation; radar and interference.

For quietrevolution™ wind turbines there are freely available documents that discuss these subjects in more detail and these can be downloaded from their website and submitted to local authorities as part of the planning process.

Alternatively we can collate the details for the application for you as part of our managed service offering to take away the hassle of dealing with the planning process.

Whatever your choice, we recommend that you read the quietrevolution™ Planning Pack, which has a very helpful flowchart describing the planning process and the likely timescales.

Download the Planning Pack for further information and advice: download (PDF: 2.4MB)