Expert Support Network

Welcome to the expert support network home page.

We are pleased to announce that from the beginning of August 2009 the pilot of the Expert Support Network will continue for a further eight months until the end of March 2010.

The initiative, which aims to giving planning officers in England the opportunity to receive expert advice, information and guidance on specific issues relating to renewable energy and planning, was first trialled in early 2009.

The service is aimed at local authority planning officers, in both forward planning and development management (although other local authority officers are also able to access the network if they have a relevant query). Councillors can also benefit indirectly since the aim of the service is to help to produce evidence to support good quality and robust decision making.

If you would like to submit a query to the expert support network, please fill out the form with the relevant information on the submit a query page.

Please ensure you have checked the terms and conditions before applying.

Originally launched in February 2009, the network offers free support of up to one-day’s worth of an expert's time to deal with complex queries that require in-depth research, clarification and response. Typically, this will be delivered via telephone and e-mail. Where queries are less complex, or are variations on ones that have been dealt with previously, the option of a half-day's or a few hours' worth of support is also available.

The network is managed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and is run in association with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Communities and Local Government.