Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer to question 102809 on Solar Power: Decommissioning, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating the return to previous use of sites previously used for solar.

The National Policy Statements require applicants to assess and mitigate for environmental impacts of their proposals across the lifecycle of the proposed development, including decommissioning. No specific assessment has been made on mandating the return of sites to their previous use. This requirement is usually included in a planning condition enforced by local authorities.