It’s an interesting time in the planning world right now. Changes to the grid connection process, new planning legislation, and restarting a lethargic economy are all contributing to a rush to get projects ‘going’—for us, this means submitted.

But importantly, submission doesn’t mean permission. 

This issue of Outlook focuses on how we can streamline projects to avoid unnecessary delays.

Planning has shifted focus to put more emphasis on assessing a site early in the process to make mitigation intrinsic to the design.

This design-led approach will be vital for wind developments in England, where a lot of experience has been missed over the last 10 years of essentially zero development. Likewise, our Service Spotlight looks at how we can combine this pre-emptive approach into a construction-ready solar design.

Ultimately, we can’t control when permission is granted, but we can influence it. Good design, understanding the details of a site and making every project construction focused reduces delays during planning. It can also reduce the burden of planning conditions, which ultimately cedes control of the deadline to overworked and understaffed Local Authorities.

So, while submission is undoubtedly important, this issue will give you insight as to why the real key to success is how we secure your permission.