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Regen’s response to MHCLG consultation on planning powers for mayors
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Regen’s response to MHCLG consultation on planning powers for mayors

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Date
October 16, 2026

Regen has responded to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s consultation on planning powers for mayors in England. Our response focuses on the implications of the proposed mayoral planning powers for renewable energy generation, energy storage and electricity network infrastructure. Regen supports a potential role for mayors in determining energy projects of strategic significance, provided decisions are grounded in evidence-based energy policies and that the process does not create additional delay or uncertainty.  

The recommendations have been shaped through engagement with developers and planning industry professionals through Regen’s members working group on planning. Click here to find out more about membership benefits.

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Table Contents

At a glance

Key recommendations

  • Energy-related mayoral intervention powers should begin after adoption of a Spatial Development Strategy that contains clear evidence-based energy policies. Pre-SDS adoption, mayors should be given the ability to issue a positive position statement setting out their views in relation to economic benefits of renewable energy deployment. Without an examined strategic policy framework, mayoral interventions could introduce additional delay, uncertainty and political risk for projects. There is a risk that short-term political considerations could be given greater weight than strategic energy needs. Regen recommends that mayors should identify relevant policies in the Spatial Development Strategy when intervening and explain how relevant energy-system evidence has been considered. Before an SDS is adopted, mayors should be able to issue a positive position statement on the local economic benefits of renewable and low-carbon energy infrastructure. This should be considered by the LPA as a material consideration, as with the suggested process for housing.
  • Spatial Development Strategies should contain clear policies on renewable energy and align with Regional Energy Strategic Plans and the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan. Given our recommendation to evidence mayoral interventions through the Spatial Development Strategy, the quality of these plans is critical. They should contain clear policies for renewable and low-carbon generation, electricity storage and network infrastructure, supported by robust evidence. They should also align with wider energy planning, including Regional Energy Strategic Plans, the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and the Centralised Strategic Network Plan.
  • Mayoral decision makers will need to have adequate support to make informed decisions in a timely manner. To make consistent and informed decisions across interventions, mayoral authorities should have access to qualified development management and energy systems expertise, supported by appropriate training. The process should also be subject to firm statutory timescales to avoid creating unnecessary delay and uncertainty.
  • The proposed energy thresholds and definitions should be reviewed to consider the treatment of co-located projects and repowering.  The proposed energy PSI categories are unclear on how co-located generation and storage projects would be treated, including whether their capacities would be considered separately or together. It is also unclear how repowering applications would be treated. These points should be clarified to avoid inconsistencies and uncertainty.

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Regen continues to consider the potential role of Spatial Development Strategies, including how best to align them with strategic energy planning. We will be discussing this topic further at our next planning working group in Bristol on 21 October. Registration is open and available here.

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