The Local Development Plan will support developments associated with the renewable generation of heat. Where non-renewable generation of heat is proposed, the Council will support these developments only where greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, form part of a carbon capture development or where the applicant can demonstrate plans for conversion to renewable or low carbon sources of heat in the future. The Council will also be supportive of the provision of energy centres, where appropriate, within new development.
All new heat generating developments should, where possible, be located close to potential heat users and the possibility of developing heat networks, including district heat networks, should be investigated.
Proposals for new development should ensure that the site can be connected to heat networks, including district heating, which may be developed in the future. This will require developers to safeguard sufficient capacity within the site’s infrastructure to allow pipework to be connected to premises within the site and to the future heat supply/network. Developers should also safeguard sufficient land, where appropriate, for the provision of energy centres to enable subsequent connections to heat networks to be made.
Where heat networks are not viable, micro-generation and heat recovery technologies, within or associated with individual properties, will be encouraged by the Council.
All proposals will require to meet with the Renewable Energy Assessment Criteria set out in Schedule 1 of the LDP (PDF18Mb). Thermal treatment plants will also require to meet with SEPA’s Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines 2014.
Supplementary Guidance on Heat Generation (PDF 3Mb) will be produced to support Policy RE 2.
This Supplementary Guidance will identify where the opportunities exist for co-locating developments with a high heat demand with sources of heat supply. The Supplementary Guidance will include criteria for decision making.
This Supplementary Guidance will include detail on individual heat generating technologies and will set out decision making criteria that apply to those technologies in addition to those in Policy RE 2.