Investing in UK sites
A plain-English guide to how development is consented in the United Kingdom, for overseas investors, funds and operators. Suton acts as your single point of entry into this system.
Four nations, four systems
Planning and environmental regulation are devolved. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own planning law and their own environmental regulator. A scheme that is straightforward in one nation may follow a different process in another.
Planning and permitting are separate
Planning permission decides whether a use is acceptable on a piece of land. It is granted by the local planning authority, or for the largest infrastructure by government. An environmental permit decides whether a process can operate, and on what terms. It is issued by the environmental regulator.
Most waste, energy and industrial schemes need both. The two can run in parallel, but neither guarantees the other, so they need to be planned together.
How a planning application runs
Most schemes begin with pre-application discussion with the planning authority. In England, the statutory period for deciding an application is 8 weeks for minor schemes, 13 weeks for major schemes and 16 weeks where an environmental impact assessment is needed. Complex schemes often take longer by agreement.
Consent usually comes with conditions that must be discharged before or during construction, and often with a Section 106 agreement covering contributions and obligations. Refusals can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate.
Grid connections
In Great Britain, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) manages connections to the transmission network. Regional distribution network operators (DNOs) and independent distribution network operators (IDNOs) manage local networks. Connection dates and capacity, not planning, now decide the timetable for many energy and data-centre schemes.
images/uk-consenting.jpgWho decides what
| Planning | Environmental permits | |
|---|---|---|
| England | Local planning authority; Planning Inspectorate on appeal | Environment Agency |
| Scotland | Local planning authority; Scottish Ministers on appeal | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) |
| Wales | Local planning authority; Planning and Environment Decisions Wales on appeal | Natural Resources Wales |
| Northern Ireland | Local council; Department for Infrastructure for regionally significant schemes | Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) |
Terms you will meet
- Section 106 agreement
- A legal agreement attached to a planning permission in England and Wales, covering contributions such as affordable housing or highway works.
- Planning conditions
- Requirements attached to a permission that must be met, often before work can start.
- EIA
- Environmental impact assessment, required for larger schemes with likely significant effects on the environment.
- NSIP
- Nationally significant infrastructure project, consented by government through a development consent order rather than by the local authority.
- Environmental permit
- The regulator's authorisation to operate a waste, industrial or energy process.
- DoWCoP
- The Definition of Waste Code of Practice, which allows suitable excavated materials to be reused on development sites without a waste permit.
- IDNO
- Independent distribution network operator, which owns and runs local electricity networks connected to the main grid.
Discuss a site in confidence
Tell us about the site and what you need from it. One fixed fee, agreed before work starts.