Wind farm planning changes just hot air

The government has done “almost nothing” to lift the de facto ban on onshore windfarms, despite the prime minister’s promise to ease planning rules. Industry’s lobby group RenewableUK said the government showed “no ambition” for onshore wind, with no sites under construction, none with planning consent and none submitted for planning. Last year, Rishi Sunak pledged to overturn an effective ban announced by David Cameron in 2015. But the technical consultation resulting from that pledge, which ends on Thursday evening, has massively frustrated wind energy companies and green groups by leaving barriers in place. Under the proposed changes to planning rules, onshore wind developers will still face the same two obstacles they did before. Local authorities will still have to draw up a plan for the best sites for wind energy, something they often do not have the resources or will to do. Exactly what the government means by saying projects must have “community support” remains opaque, critics say. Under Cameron’s rules, just one person objecting could block a scheme, a risk that made projects uninvestable. Industry fears the new language does not remove that risk. The Times (£) Photo © Anna Jiménez Calaf/Unsplash