Weekly highlights

Weekly highlights

This subtopic is an archive of the weekly round-up of key current awareness and legal updates.

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Latest Planning News

OEUK publishes offshore wind decommissioning guidelines

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has published its first set of guidelines for decommissioning offshore wind turbines. The guidelines provide an overview of relevant regulations and best practices for technical design and environmental protection measures. Key considerations include cost-effective methods, workforce safety, and environmental impact assessments. They also emphasise the importance of monitoring seabed changes throughout a turbine's lifespan and integrating decommissioning planning into the design of new turbines.

DESNZ announces new measures for Warm Homes Plan

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced new measures for its Warm Homes Plan, with the aim of upgrading 300,000 homes in 2025. These measures include increased funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to facilitate heat pump adoption and the amendment of existing permitted development rights to remove the one-meter planning rule for heat pump installations in England, enabling more households to install air source heat pumps without obtaining planning permission from early 2025. DESNZ also plans to consult on raising minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes by 2030 and improving standards for new boilers and heat pumps. In addition, it will introduce a reformed Clean Heat Market Mechanism from 1 April 2025. DESNZ also announced a £1.29bn allocation for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 and a £500m allocation for the Warm Homes: Local Grant as part of the Autumn Budget. These funds will be distributed over three years, from 2025 to 2028. In addition, it announced changes to the BUS. Due to a surge in applications, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband authorised an increase in the scheme's budget and granted Ofgem permission to over-allocate vouchers.

DLUHC launches consultation on Right to Buy reforms to protect social housing

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has launched an eight week consultation on proposed reforms to the Right to Buy scheme. Key measures under consideration include extending the minimum tenancy period for eligibility, exempting newly built social homes from the scheme and introducing targets for councils to replace sold stock. The government has already reduced maximum Right to Buy discounts to £16,000 - £38,000 and increased the cost floor protection period to 30 years. Councils can now retain all receipts from sales and the scheme will not be extended to housing associations. These reforms aim to create a more sustainable Right to Buy programme while protecting and increasing social housing stock amidst unprecedented housing pressures.

PINS updates RoW guidance and archives certain advice notes

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has consolidated several of its Rights of way (RoW) advice notes, including 1, 3, 9, 16, 20, 21, 22, and 23, into the appendices of the RoW guidance booklet. Advice notes addressing policy and legal matters, including 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14 15, 19, which fall outside PINS’ remit, will no longer be updated and will be archived. Additionally, the consistency guidelines have also been archived and will not be updated.