Changing Perceptions - Consulting On Renewable Energy Projects

Written by Rhys Bradshaw MRTPI

As the UK steps up its transition to renewable energy, solar farms have emerged as a key part of the solution and, like most consultants advising on such schemes, I have spent the first few months of 2025 gearing up for application submissions, accelerated by the proposed grid reforms to meet the UK’s clean power targets for 2030.

Solar schemes promise low-carbon electricity, energy security, and progress toward net-zero goals, but alongside this promise has come a notable spike in public opposition, particularly in rural communities where solar farms tend to be proposed. At the heart of this tension is public consultation; a fundamental part of developing a robust planning application.

The planning system requires developers to consult the public before the submission of major applications, but whether the scheme is large or small, the process is frequently accused of being tokenistic by local residents. It is clear to me through recent feedback from Town and Parish Councils that many communities feel inundated and often blindsided by solar farm applications. In their eyes - the letters get sent, the plans are published online, and residents are invited to comment, often with little notice and limited explanation. In theory, this is an opportunity for local voices to be heard. In practice, consultations can be brief exercises, laden with jargon and structured around pre-decided outcomes.

In the end, the result is frustration on all sides. Residents are worried about the loss of agricultural land, the impact on landscapes and biodiversity, or the perceived industrialisation of the countryside. Developers, meanwhile, see mounting resistance to projects that are key to the UK’s climate ambitions. At the centre of this disconnect is the failure of many consultation processes to feel genuine or inclusive. All too often, consultations are geared toward meeting validation requirements rather than fostering meaningful dialogue.

So how can consultation be improved?

Standard public consultation poses a clear missed opportunity. If well thought out, it can improve both the quality and acceptability of solar proposals. Local people and groups bring valuable, site-specific knowledge on a range of matters - flooding, wildlife habitats, or the value of a particular view for example. They can suggest alternative layouts, screening methods, or community benefit schemes that make projects more palatable—and more successful.

I have been encouraged by our recent engagement with residents on a number of schemes, through public exhibitions, Parish Councils and 1-1 meetings with those most affected. This has been in addition to the expected leaflet drops and website consultations.  For us, these meetings started early in the design process. Too many consultations ask the public to comment on a set design or layout, rather than involving them in shaping it. Early-stage engagement builds trust and often delivers innovative solutions.

Focussed engagement on a neighbour-by-neighbour basis has revealed that actually, many support renewable energy in principle but few want to see their local environment adversely impacted in the process. Engaging with these concerns early and honestly should not be seen as a hurdle to progress, for us it has been a clear a pathway to it.

Transparency is key to building legitimacy. In focusing on meaningful engagement, it’s important for us to demonstrate, in a clear way, how views have been taken into account and how a scheme has evolved as a direct result of someone’s interaction with the process. It’s even more important to take time to explain where a scheme cannot be amended. Just recently, robust debate at a public consultation and follow up, personalised discussions, led to an individual changing their perception of a scheme, its impacts on their property, and the wider benefits.

I cannot pretend that we’ve convinced everyone we’ve engaged with, but even those opposed to development have genuinely valued this approach to consultation -  and it’s been an enjoyable experience. It is clear that the shift to renewables is essential, but it cannot come at the expense of local democracy or public trust. Solar farms and other renewable forms of energy will only become a truly sustainable solution if communities feel invested in the process - not overlooked by it.

Rhys Bradshaw MRTPI

Director - DLP Planning Limited

https://dlpconsultants.co.uk/storage/2025/03/DLP-Energy-Brochure-FINAL-AD-28.03.pdf

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