Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to strengthen co-ordination between high-level spatial development strategies and local energy planning to support community energy projects.

The preparation of spatial development strategies (SDS) will be a matter for strategic planning authorities. An SDS may specify or describe infrastructure, including infrastructure for mitigating or adapting to climate change, and there is a requirement to have regard to sustainable development when preparing an SDS. Any SDS will also have to take into account the National Planning Policy Framework which contains policy about both SDSs and energy. Local plans will have to be in general conformity with an adopted SDS.