Electricity network infrastructure: consents, land access and rights
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
The government is taking forward all proposals that were outlined in the consultation. In response to stakeholder feedback, amendments have been made to some of the reforms.
The feedback indicated that the consultation proposals alone would be unlikely to deliver the pace and scale of network build required to support Clean Power 2030 targets. Additional measures were therefore developed, which are an evolution of the original consultation proposals. These are also set out in the consultation response.
Detail of feedback received
There were 73 responses to the consultation from a wide range of stakeholders, including:
- electricity network operators
- electricity generation developers
- landowner organisations
- trade bodies
- national landscape representatives
- local authorities and other public bodies
Original consultation
Consultation description
Update: 30 July 2025
The consultation document has been updated to include further information on how we will process consultation responses.
DESNZ may share consultation responses with the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) who are carrying out analysis of consultation responses using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool.
Read our consultation privacy notice.
Fair and proportionate land rights and consents processes are crucial to enabling us to meet the country’s need to build more electricity network infrastructure. By land rights and consents processes, we refer to the processes and permissions which enable network operators to access private land for the purposes of building and maintaining electricity infrastructure. It is vital that these processes protect the rights of landowners, local stakeholders and the environment, while enabling the timely delivery of important infrastructure. Network investment is critical, not just for the energy transition, but also to support economic growth.
To ensure the system is fit for purpose, the government has reviewed existing processes to assess whether they are sufficient to support our clean power ambitions, Net Zero goals, and energy security transformation. This consultation is the result of that review and proposes a range of reforms to these processes to enable the rapid deployment of future network connections, while ensuring that the rights of landowners are respected.
We welcome responses from any interested party. These proposals may be of particular interest to electricity network operators, energy developers, landowners, local authorities, and local communities.
Online responses are preferred. If you need to send your response via email or post, we strongly recommend that you use the template provided to submit your response.
Read our consultation privacy notice.
Documents
Updates to this page
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Added a methodology section to the government response.
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Published government response.
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The consultation document has been updated to include further information on how we will process consultation responses.
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First published.