Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Rejected
Publish a map of SUPDC test results for England and Wales, replacing H&SE consultation.
Recommendation
EN-7 should, for now, retain SUPDC to avoid delaying its designation, but should replace the requirement to consult the Health and Safety Executive with a published map showing SUPDC test results for all of England 26 and Wales at a suitable resolution (but ideally on a 100-metre grid at least for the EN-6 sites and any others identified in recent government announcements). (Recommendation, Paragraph 61)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to replace HSE consultation with a published map for SUPDC, explaining that the underlying data updates too frequently to make maps viable, and states they will keep the current HSE consultation requirement while remaining open to future alternatives.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
During EN-7’s development we did consider a number of ways to enable applicants to assess sites against the SUPDC, including publication of maps. However, a significant portion of the data underlying any map showing which areas of England and Wales pass the population density criterion is updated every six weeks so any map would quickly become outdated. As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) manage the underlying data, we decided that applicants should engage directly with the HSE. In order to maintain the underlying data, HSE charge a fee to the applicant, as this work is not a statutory duty. We propose to keep the current requirement to consult the HSE in the NPS but remain open to exploring alternative solutions in the future.