| answer text |
<p> </p><p>The Community Right to Build allows local communities to undertake small-scale,
site-specific, community-led developments. It may only be used by community organisations
in which local people in the relevant neighbourhood area have a majority of the voting
rights and have the majority on the board of directors or governing body of the organisation,
and, include different people from at least 10 different addresses within the area.
This means the Community Right to Build cannot be used by property developers, including
wind turbine developers, to gain planning permission for their development proposal
- unless that development is something that the community wishes to see and which
the community initiates.</p><p>Proposals that require an Environmental Impact Assessment
or are likely to have significant effects on a site protected under the Habitats Regulations
are not eligible to use the Community Right to Build. Where proposals are eligible
they will be tested by an independent examiner to see that they are appropriate in
the light of national planning policy and generally conform with the strategic policies
of the Local Plan for the area and any neighbourhood plans that are in force.</p><p>The
National Planning Policy Framework is very clear that local councils should design
their policies to ensure the adverse impacts of renewable energy developments are
addressed satisfactorily. To help implement the environmental balance expected by
the Framework, we issued new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon
energy last July. The guidance makes clear that the need for renewable energy does
not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of
local communities.</p><p> </p>
|
|
