Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any cumulative impact on communities of the development of battery energy storage systems.
Where new development proposals come forward, fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), ensures that the impacts of proposals on communities and nature, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. All applications are subject to site specific assessments and the cumulative impacts of energy development proposals are also required to be considered through statutory Environmental Impact Assessment processes, where relevant and applicable.
The Scottish Ministers have an expectation that communities are engaged at an early stage and can meaningfully influence development proposals in their area. Where there is a need for co-ordination between applicants proposing development in the same area, all parties are expected to work together to co-ordinate development and minimise any impacts on communities and the environment.
When determining applications under the Electricity Act 1989, Scottish Ministers are required to seek advice from planning authorities to ensure that decision-making is co-ordinated to reflect local circumstances.