The renewables industry will see "some babies lost with the bathwater" when the Regional Development Agencies are replaced with the government's new Local Enterprise Partnerships, a leading trade association has warned.
While it is not yet certain what the LEPs will look like, it is thought that the government's decision to scrap RDAs, and the Regional Spatial Strategies that informed them, is likely to have an impact on the sector, particularly when it comes to planning.
Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the REA, explained that RSS's have been very important for renewables project developers when they have had to appeal against a planning refusal, with regional targets proving beneficial.
However, she added that so long as other measures were improved in the renewables sector, such as incentive schemes and planning approval rates, regional targets would become less important.
Ms Hartnell said: "Until we see more detail we simply don't know what the implications might be. There are bound to be some babies lost with the bathwater, when the RDAs go.
"Project developers are likely to feel the loss of Regional Spatial Strategies keenly. They have proved very important if a project developer has to appeal against a planning refusal. If we had a culture where the granting approval was the default expectation, coupled with favourable and easily accessed incentive schemes, then geographical targets would be far less important."
Fellow renewables trade body RenewableUK also said that it would be important for a "sub-national" structure to remain following the closure of RDAs.
A spokesman from RenewableUK said: "It is very important that some form of sub-national structure remains in place after the Regional Development Agencies have been disbanded.
"We intend to work closely with government to ensure that the new Local Enterprise Partnerships fully deliver in terms of promoting renewable energy."
Earlier this month (September 7), the government confirmed that it had received 56 proposals for LEPs from around the country following the closing date for submitting proposals.
According to the government, many of the proposals are "radical in their approach" and identify the variety of challenges facing individual local economies; putting forward "innovative" ways of tackling them. This includes reflecting the importance of allowing local areas to determine their own economic development and drive private sector job growth.
Over the coming weeks, ministers will consider the proposals in detail, looking at how they will support economic growth, before providing feedback to partnerships ahead of the publication of the White Paper on sub-national economic growth and the introduction of the Localism Bill.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: "These 56 local enterprise partnership proposals are just the beginning of a new radical way of delivering prosperity and rebalancing the economy.
"We are facing economic problems that need solutions from local communities. The secret to the success of local enterprise partnerships will be working on the basis of local economic geography - gone are the artificial political regions of RDAs - this will better serve the needs of local business."
Taken from http://www.newenergyfocus.com/do/ecco/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=32&listitemid=4383§ion=Policy