Wind Planning & Grid Connection Services
Securing wind turbine planning consent in the UK can be one of the biggest hurdles in developing a successful renewable energy project. While government policy is now far more supportive of onshore wind projects – with targets to double capacity to 30 GW by 2030 – the process remains complex. Success requires detailed technical studies, robust planning documentation, and skilled management of the application.
At Renewables First, we are specialist wind energy planning consultants. We provide expertise, efficiency and a pragmatic approach at every stage, helping you de-risk your project and achieve a positive planning outcome. If you are planning a wind turbine or wind farm, we can help you navigate the planning system with confidence. Contact Renewables First today to discuss your site and how we can support your wind planning application
Ready to start your onshore wind installation project? Contact us today.
Our wind planning process
- Identifying and reducing high-risk issues (pre-planning works)
- Preparing and submitting the planning application
- Managing the application through to decision
- Discharging planning conditions
- Managing appeals if required
Step 1: Pre-Planning Works – Mitigating High-Risk Issues
After wind feasibility study, we identify any high-risk issues that could be problematic during the planning process. Tackling these early avoids wasted time and cost.
Typical high-risk items for wind turbine sites include:
– MOD and civilian aviation or radar conflicts
– Civilian airspace safeguarding concerns
– Grid connection availability
– Communication and microwave link interference
– Noise impacts on nearby dwellings
– Shadow flicker assessment
– Heritage and cultural landscape sensitivities
– Access and transport feasibility
We also handle early consultations, including:
– Local Authority pre-application discussions
– Local Authority Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening and scoping
Step 2: Preparing and Submitting the Planning Application
Once pre-planning works are complete, we prepare a comprehensive wind turbine planning application for submission to the Local Planning Authority (LPA). This ensures your project is presented credibly and professionally.
Typical application documents include:
– Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA)
– Specialist ecological surveys (birds, bats, etc.)
– Environmental Statement (or Environmental Impact Assessment for EIA sites)
– Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA)
– Cultural heritage and archaeological assessments
– Noise surveys and impact assessment
– Aviation & radar impact reports (MOD, NATS, airports)
– Communications link consultations
– Shadow Flicker Assessment
– Hydrology, flood risk & drainage assessment
– Transport and access studies
– Site plans and maps
– Biodiversity plan (Biodiversity Net Gain in England; Net Benefit for Biodiversity in Wales; Positive Effects for Biodiversity in Scotland)
– Planning Statement
– Design & Access Statement
– Application forms and fee calculations
At Renewables First, many technical assessments are completed in-house, ensuring consistency, cost efficiency, and accuracy. For external studies, we coordinate with specialists and agree scope with the LPA upfront.
Step 3: Managing the Application
We proactively manage your onshore wind planning application through to decision. This includes:
– Validating and securing acceptance of the application
– Responding quickly to consultation responses and queries
– Negotiating additional information requests pragmatically
– Maintaining application momentum to avoid delays
Our team builds constructive relationships with Planning Officers, consultees, and stakeholders — a critical factor in achieving consent.
Step 4: Discharging Planning Conditions
Every approved application comes with planning conditions. These may include simple confirmations or more complex requirements, such as additional surveys.
We review all conditions as soon as consent is granted and produce a planning condition discharge plan. This gives you a clear view of costs and timescales, helping you integrate the process into your construction programme.
Step 5: Appeals and Challenges
If consent is refused, an appeal may be necessary. As experienced wind planning consultants, we prepare and manage appeals to ensure your project receives a fair hearing, supported by strong technical and planning arguments.
Grid Connection Permission
Alongside planning, every wind turbine project must secure grid connection approval. While technically straightforward, the UK distribution network is often constrained, and not every site has available capacity.
We help identify solutions, such as:
- Maximising on-site energy consumption
- Private-wire supply to nearby large electricity users
- Energy storage systems to smooth and optimise output
Early grid strategy is essential for project viability and bankability.
Why Choose Renewables First?
- Proven track record in securing consent for wind turbine and wind farm planning applications
- In-house technical expertise across multiple assessment areas
- Established relationships with LPAs and statutory consultees
- A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach that reduces risk
- Can also do the wind feasibility and provide wind installation services
If you are planning a wind turbine or wind farm, we can help you navigate the planning system with confidence. Contact Renewables First today to discuss your site and how we can support your wind planning application.
Our Clients
Renewables First works with commercial businesses, farms, industrial operators and landowners across the UK to deliver high-performing renewable energy projects.
We do not just produce reports. We design, build and operate renewable energy systems that generate measurable results.
Landowners, Farmers and Estates
Commercial Clients
Utility Companies
Community Groups
Local Authorities
Investors
Private Residences
Educational Institutions
Conservation Groups
Landowners, Farmers and Estates
Commercial Clients
Utility Companies
Private Residences
Educational Institutions
Conservation Groups
We don’t just talk and write reports – we actually build stuff!
Our Windpower Projects
Blacktoft Nursery, 500 kW EWT DW54 Wind Turbine
Feasibility, design, consenting and construction. Directly supplying an enormous commercial greenhouse.
Hibaldstow Farm, 500 kW EWT DW54 Wind Turbine
Design, project management and delivery. Supplying the chicken farm with electricity and surplus exported to the grid.
Baulker Farm, 500 kW EWT DW54 Wind Turbine
Complex integration of a large wind turbine into a constrained site with power used to supply the chicken farm.
Want to Learn More?
We often hear the same key questions from clients — here are some of the most important ones, with links to in-depth answers in our Learning Centre.
Other Renewable Services we offer
Energy Storage Systems
For better alignment of your generation and demand profiles, and making best use of Time-of-Day electricity pricing
Heat Pumps
Specialists in water-source heat pumps and heat extraction from water courses, particularly rivers
Consultancy
Decades of experience of complex analysis, design, consenting and construction. We know how to solve problems, or avoid them completely
Solar PV
Large roof-top, ground-mounted, solar carports and floating solar, 50 kW to 5 MW+
Hydropower
Low, medium and high-head schemes and all turbine types, 25 kW to 2 MW+
If you have a lot of land, you will have a lot of renewable energy generation potential, often utilising different technologies. We can assess your land and building assets to identify the sites with the highest potential, then provide all of the services you need to get the sites fully assessed, designed, consented and built. For some clients we operate the finished system for them so they have minimal disruption and just get the financial benefit produced. In some cases we can link ‘investors looking for sites’ with ‘landowners looking for investment’.
We work with a lot of businesses that want to a) reduce their energy bills and b) significantly reduce their carbon emissions. This is our core business. We can do everything from detailed feasibility studies, through the design and consenting stages and then build your system. We understand that any disruption to your day-to-day operations during the construction stage must be minimised and are very familiar with designing systems that are compliant with the needs of commercial insurance companies. As the client, you can be as involved, or not involved, as you want to be - either way we will appoint a Project Engineer to be your knowledgeable first point of contact and keep you informed throughout the process. Our expertise will deliver you an optimised renewable energy generation system that will reduce energy costs and carbon emissions and look great on your marketing material.
We’ve done many projects with utility companies. We are adept at high-level portfolio and site assessments to identify potential projects, all of the way to detailed design, consenting and construction. We are familiar with your critical day-to-day operational functions which must not be compromised, your strict adherence to the highest standards of Health & Safety and rigorous approval processes that must be followed at all project stages.
We support co-operatives and local groups with the technical engineering and project delivery of community-scale renewable projects. Community groups can generally access a lot of grants, particularly to find the feasibility and consenting stages – we are always abreast of what is available and happy to discuss how to access these grants. We can also point groups towards template group structures that are available to use, and introduce new groups to community groups that have been through the process and have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.
We work with local authorities for the operation and maintenance of existing renewable energy systems, design and build new systems and undertake consultancy work on whole-area renewable energy resource assessments, which often form the basis of local development plans. Many local authorities have ambitious carbon reduction targets to meet, so our expertise in actually designing and building systems makes us a reassuring partner in any project.
We’ve worked with private individuals, family offices and investment funds to deliver technically robust, long-term renewable generation projects. Our focus is on dependable engineering delivery and attractive project ROI.
We work with high-demand residential properties where there is space for larger renewable systems. We can offer conventional grid connected systems, fully off-grid capable systems in case electricity supplies fail in the future and energy (battery) storage systems. Systems can be designed to be discreet, and we will respect your privacy.
We help schools, colleges, and universities deploy on-site renewables for cost savings, resilience, and climate education. Educational institutions often have complex consumption data, but we are adept at analysing this to understand when you need generation. We can assess your building and land portfolio for its renewable energy potential and recommend the best options, then design and deliver it. Operational Health & Safety are always key considerations in educational settings and we can recommend appropriate mitigations.
Our building and land portfolio assessment services are key for identifying the best renewable energy generation opportunities, then we can design and deliver systems that are sympathetic to the particular building’s aesthetic or land’s ecological sensitivities.