This advice complements and reflects earlier updates to government guidance (published in April) about the infrastructure planning system, as explained in the Introduction to National Infrastructure Planning Guidance.
We are updating our advice collection in three phases. The first set of updated advice (phase one) was published in August 2024.
The second set of updated advice (phase two), which has been published today, is a set of advice relating to environmental matters and includes advice on:
- cumulative effects assessment
- the habitats regulations assessments
- the water framework directive
- transboundary process
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification and consultation
- commitments register
- good design
- scoping solar development
This advice includes updates and clarifications within the original published advice, more substantial changes to advice on EIA notification and consultation and the addition of two new pieces of advice on good design and scoping for solar development.
The changes to the EIA notification and consultation advice take account of the amendments of The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations and new guidance on the pre-application stage for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, both published on 30 April 2024.
New advice on good design and scoping solar development aim to provide additional assistance to applicants in order to facilitate the preparation of more proportionate applications and smoother examinations.
Advice to applicants on working with public bodies has also been updated.
Phase three to follow later this year
The third set of advice updates (phase 3), expected to be published later this year, will include a separate advice page on environmental statements, updated advice on the environmental impact assessment process, revised advice on the drafting of development consent orders, and new advice on achieving good design in Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The Planning Inspectorate also intends to issue further technical advice for solar development later this year.
The Planning Inspectorate will issue further news on the progress of this work in due course.