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Siting

The Strategic Siting Assessment (SSA) process will assess those sites that are strategically suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations by the end of 2025.

We are currently consulting on the criteria for assessing sites and the process for nominating sites.

At the end of the process in late 2009 / early 2010 a National Policy Statement on nuclear will be designated and include a list of sites assessed as strategically suitable. This will be provide the framework for planning consent by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission in considering planning applications.

Planning

In the past, the planning process for nuclear power stations and other large infrastructure projects has been inefficient, costly and lengthy and, in some cases, may not have provided sufficient opportunity for consideration of local issues because too much time was spent dealing with the broader national issues.

For example, Sizewell B took six years to secure planning consent, costing £30 million, and only 30 of the 340 inquiry days were devoted to local issues.

The planning reforms included in The Planning Bill will improve the speed and efficiency of the planning system for nationally significant infrastructure, including new nuclear power stations, while giving local people a greater opportunity to have their say. More information on the Planning Bill is available on the Communities and Local Government (CLG): The Planning Bill webpage.

The key purpose of the Strategic Siting Assessment is to avoid unnecessary discussion on whether there are better alternative sites elsewhere during each planning application, by addressing this issue upfront at a national level.

Content of Strategic Siting Assessment Consultation

• Towards a nuclear national policy statement: consultation on the strategic siting assessment process and siting criteria for new nuclear power stations in the UK (538KB)
  08/925

The current consultation seeks views on:

• The proposed process for inviting and accepting nominations for sites
  • Who can nominate a site
  • How to nominate a site
  • When to nominate a site
• The proposed process for assessing nominated sites
• The proposed criteria for assessing sites for potential new nuclear power stations

The consultation specifically asks these questions:

• Should we focus on sites suitable for deployment by 2025?
• Is SSA a suitable mechanism for identifying such sites?
• Any other comments on the practicalities, such as the timetable?
• Are the proposed exclusionary and discretionary criteria appropriate?
• Is SSA a suitable mechanism for setting a framework for the Infrastructure Planning Commission’s decisions?

Process / timetable

2007

We conducted a public consultation on a Strategic Siting Assessment in parallel with the consultation on new nuclear.

2008

• January: We published Meeting the energy challenge: a white paper on nuclear power, which included details on how the Strategic Siting Assessment process would be handled.
• March and April: We conducted a consultation on Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report for Proposed National Policy Statement for New Nuclear Power.
• June: We published Strategic Siting Assessment: Preview of Nominations and Assessment Process, Draft Exclusionary and Discretionary Criteria and Indicative Timeline, a draft document which set out the main points to be included in the Strategic Siting Assessment consultation. It summarised the sites nominations process, included the criteria against which we will assess nominations for sites and set out a timetable for the siting process.
• July: We published a consultation on draft Strategic Siting Assessment criteria. The consultation runs until November 2008.

Early 2009

We will publish the finalised criteria and an invitation to nominate sites.

Early 2010

We will publish a National Policy Statement, describing the criteria and including a list of sites assessed as strategically suitable. This statement will provide the framework for planning consent for the Infrastructure Planning Commission for specific planning applications. This should enable planning applications to be made under the new system from 2010 onwards.

For further information please contact Yuen Cheung