SSEN Transmission’s Consents and Environment Team Named Best In-House Planning Team
From left: Richard Baldwin (Head of Consents and Environment); Lauren Riach (Consents and Environment Strategy Manager); and Grant Allan (Town Planning Specialist) with the 'In-House Planning Team of the Year' Award from the RTPI.
Perth-based electricity networks firm SSEN Transmission is proud to announce that its Consents and Environment team has been named ‘In-House Planning Team of the Year’ at this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence.
This award recognises the team’s outstanding contribution across all aspects of consenting and environmental activities – including leading on submitting 34 major consent applications for SSEN Transmission’s 11 ‘Pathway to 2030’ projects, a multi-billion-pound programme of work to upgrade the electricity transmission network in the north of Scotland, both onshore and offshore.
From large-scale overhead line planning developments, marine cabling licencing and substations applications; to smaller-scale planning, review and inspection (PRI) works, construction permits, European protected species (EPS) licensing, and beyond – the team has covered all aspects of SSEN Transmission’s major electricity transmission projects in the north of Scotland
Their work also encompasses data management and GIS support, strategic nature delivery, and rigorous consent compliance auditing during construction and into operations.
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2025, which took place last month in London, showcase and recognise the positive contribution planning professionals make in communities around the world.
The RTPI judges praised the SSEN Transmission team for its strong national impact, exceptional stakeholder engagement, and unwavering commitment to climate action.
They highlighted the team’s innovative and collaborative approach, responsiveness to community engagement, and tangible improvements delivered for local economies and housing.
The creative use of technology – including AI and drones – and clear evidence of value added through national-level collaboration further impressed the panel.
Richard Baldwin, Head of Consents and Environment at SSEN Transmission, commented:
“This award is a testament to the incredible dedication and innovation shown by every member of the team. Over the past 18 months, we’ve faced challenges that required us to work in new ways and deliver outcomes we weren’t sure were possible – and the team has risen to the challenge and done so brilliantly. To have this external recognition of the role we’re playing in the UK’s energy transition, while managing the largest consenting portfolio in our history, is something we should all be immensely proud of. This achievement underscores SSEN Transmission’s leadership in enabling the UK’s energy transition and delivering a network that supports a sustainable future."