Introduction
The Labour party have taken no time to hesitate in their return to leadership in the UK. Many changes have already been made by Keir Starmer and his new cabinet, with one of the latest being scrapping England’s de facto onshore wind farm ban, which was put in place by the Conservative party nine years ago. The Labour government aims to unlock the potential for onshore wind energy and accelerate the transition to Net Zero.
Why’s the onshore wind farm ban been scrapped?
Rachel Reeves, the UK’s new Chancellor of the Exchequer, called the ban “absurd”, and added that her party will be looking into whether onshore wind should be classed as a nationally significant infrastructure. This would enable larger farms to gain planning permissions much quicker than previous years.
During a speech at the Treasury in London, the Chancellor stated: “As of today we are ending the absurd ban on new onshore wind in England.”
She then went on to say: “We must acknowledge that trade-offs always exist. Any development may have environmental consequences, place pressure on services and rouse voices of local opposition, but we will not succumb to a status quo which responds to the existence of trade-offs by always saying no.
This is paralleled with Labour being committed to doubling onshore wind energy by 2030.
What did the Conservative’s onshore wind farm policy look like before it was scrapped?
Previously, onshore wind rules were treated in a different manner to other developments, meaning schemes were stopped from going ahead if there were any objections. Onshore wind farms required local consent, with sites needing approval from residents and local authorities. The policy was effectively a ban on new onshore wind farms in England and in September 2023, the BBC reported that Rishi Sunak was forced to ease the rules due to threat of revolt from Tory MPs.
Regardless, Labour have now removed the policy altogether, with Energy UK’s chief executive Emma Pinchbeck saying: “It’s excellent to see the new Government prioritise planning reforms as a key enabler for economic growth and enhancing our energy security.
Unblocking the planning system, removing the de-facto ban to double onshore wind and ensuring adequate resourcing for planning authorities are crucial steps the industry has long been calling for.”
But, why do we want more onshore wind farms?
Cited from uswitch.com, see some pros and cons below.
Pros:
– Onshore wind costs half as much as offshore wind, a quarter as much as solar power, and less than nuclear power.
– It’s very environmentally friendly – while building wind turbines involves a small amount of emissions, they have a very low carbon footprint once running.
– Onshore wind has a limited physical impact on the environment – no land poisoning, release of toxins, can be farmed around, and once removed leaves minimal impact.
– Job creation / energy independence
Cons:
– When not running, wind turbines need fossil fuel backup, especially as they take up a larger proportion of our overall energy generation.
– The turbines have a visual impact, particularly as wind farms are built on top of hills to capture the most wind.
– Further concerns are that they can impact birds and bats, and they can also produce some noise, disturbing local residents.
Summary
It’s now being made easier to build onshore wind farms. Previously, it was entirely down to local residents who could effectively decide if a wind farm/turbine was built, but now Rachel Reeves is ensuring that the decisions are taken nationally, instead of the local-first focus.
That being said, local opinion will still be considered when giving planning permission. This change by Rachel Reeves is a first step in the process of ensuring the UK generates more renewable electricity.
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Sources:
The Independent: Rachel Reeves scraps Conservative’s ‘absurd’ onshore windfarm ban (msn.com)
gov.uk: Policy statement on onshore wind – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66715141#:~:text=Rishi%20Sunak%20eases%20onshore%20wind%20farm%20rules%20as%20Tory%20MPs%20threaten%20revolt,-Published&text=Prime%20Minister%20Rishi%20Sunak%20has,wind%20farms%20to%20be%20built.
Uswitch: https://www.uswitch.com/
