Waste planning policy

What is waste?

Any substance or object is capable of being waste. Determining whether or not a substance or object is waste is complex, and has significant legal and economic consequences for the waste holder. See Practice Note: Meaning of waste—what is waste?

The primary definition of waste is set out Article 3(1) of Directive 2008/98/EC, the Archived Waste Framework, as it had effect immediately before 11 pm on 31 December 2020. Waste is 'any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard'.

Practice Note: Meaning of waste—what is waste? includes case law on interpreting the definition of waste, key guidance and a checklist for determining whether something is waste.

Waste planning authorities

Waste planning authorities (WPAs) are authorities with responsibility for the land-use planning control of waste management. WPAs are usually county councils or (in areas where these no longer exist) unitary authorities, including National Park Authorities.

WPAs are responsible for producing Waste Development Frameworks (WDFs), a set of local policy documents that determine the location and type of waste management facilities and appropriate criteria on which to base planning

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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.

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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.