<p>The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily and makes clear that a planning application for renewable energy should be approved only if the impact is, or can be made, acceptable.</p><p>To help implement the Framework, we published new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy. The guidance is clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local people.</p><p>The guidance explains that local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones or separation distances. This is because other than when dealing with set back distances for safety, distance of itself does not necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable. Distance plays a part, but so does the local context including factors such as topography, the local environment and nearby land uses. This is why it is important to think about in what circumstances proposals are likely to be acceptable and plan on this basis.</p>