Supplementary Guidance - Sustainable Heating

Purpose and scope of guidance

Policy 34 (Sustainable Heating and Cooling) of the Local Development Plan (2019) notes that the Council will prepare Supplementary Guidance to assist in the consideration of planning applications and sustainable heating/cooling taking in to account a range of factors.

The Scottish Government is currently proposing new statutory duties for local authorities to prepare Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) in line with the Energy Efficient Scotland programme and the Council is currently undertaking pilot work to consider how LHEES could be rolled out.  LHEES aim to establish area-based plans and priorities for systematically improving the energy efficiency of buildings, and decarbonising heat  (including potential district heating schemes) and therefore there are synergies with the Sustainable Heating Supplementary Guidance. The Scottish Government is also considering District Heating Regulation which would also shape any future Guidance in this area. The Council will further investigate the provision of Sustainable Heating Guidance once the national policy/regulatory framework has been established, which is anticipated to be later in 2020.

Policy 34 of the LDP already provides the Council with a mechanism to realise any potentially feasible/viable opportunities for sustainable heating as part of the development process.