Network ground surveys could bypass planning applications

In Brief

The UK Government is consulting on a new permitted development right (PDR) that would allow certain temporary, low-impact ground investigations and surveys for electricity networks to proceed without a planning application.

The proposal covers early-stage investigations used to establish ground conditions, archaeological risk and information needed for project design, routeing and environmental assessment.

The right would apply to transmission and distribution licence holders, as well as third parties working on their behalf, rather than creating a general planning exemption for all pre-construction survey work.

Proposed controls include a 15m maximum investigation depth, 90m² maximum surface area, a 28-day limit on works and at least 14 days’ prior notification to the local planning authority.

In Review

The UK Government wants to remove one of the smaller planning hurdles that can slow electricity network projects before construction starts. Under the proposed permitted development right, some temporary ground investigations could go ahead without a separate planning application, provided they stay within set limits.

These surveys matter because they help project teams understand what they are dealing with before designs are fixed. Poor ground conditions, archaeology or other site constraints can affect where cables and other infrastructure go, how they are designed and how much they cost. Finding those issues earlier should reduce the risk of redesign later.

Of course, the changes would still come with strings attached. Investigations would generally be restricted to a maximum depth of 15m, a surface area of 90m² and 28 days of work. Developers would also need to notify the local planning authority at least 14 days before starting, avoid damaging trees and restore the land afterwards as far as possible.

Additionally, the proposal is aimed at transmission and distribution licence holders, plus contractors working for them. That means not every developer or electrification project will get a general right to carry out surveys without planning permission. Nor would it remove the need to secure access to the land or meet environmental and heritage requirements. So this is a targeted change, rather than a wholesale removal of pre-construction controls.

For grid upgrades, however, it could speed up at least one small part of the process, but that depends on whether it actually helps network developers get useful site information earlier than they currently do. Removing one planning step could help, but only if land access, environmental approvals and other constraints are dealt with at the same time. Otherwise the bottleneck simply moves elsewhere.

Thankfully, in terms of access, UK Power Networks has already announced a new AI-powered platform that could help it simplify that process – so combined with the UK Government’s new proposals, we could finally see a more efficient process.