Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans for an extensive mapping exercise identifying the most suitable sites for renewable energy sources to be carried out as part of the Land Use Framework.

In October 2024, the Secretary of State for The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), along with Scottish and Welsh governments, jointly commissioned the National Energy System Operator to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan: the first ever spatial energy plan for Great Britain, to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across both land and sea.

The analysis underpinning the Land Use Consultation for England has fed into the development of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan’s methodology. DESNZ and Defra will continue to work closely to ensure that the SSEP and the Land Use Framework work together cohesively alongside other sector plans.