Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 9 December 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report published in November 2025 by Eversheds Sutherland, Wind Energy Consenting: Increasing S36 Threshold to 100MW and Sector Deal Progress, which identifies that the current average timeframe for Section 36 determinations for onshore wind projects is 29 months without a Public Local Enquiry and 38 months with one.
The Scottish Government will consult on increasing the current threshold of 50MW for applications for onshore electricity generating stations to be considered by local authorities.
We therefore welcome the Eversheds Sutherland study as a contribution to the evidence base on energy consenting timescales and decision-making. Beyond just Sector Deal progress, the paper provides insight relating to consent rates, timescales and the comparative consistency of decision-making across different determination routes.
As noted in the answer to question S6W-42175 on 9 December 2025, the majority of applications determined in 2025 to date were submitted prior to this commitment taking effect. Many of these applications have legacy issues that must be resolved to ensure positive outcomes in the public interest for all relevant stakeholders. Accordingly, it is too early to assess whether the sector deal actions have achieved the intended impact on determination timescales. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.