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Rishi Sunak has undertaken a significant U-turn in the face of mounting pressure from Tory rebels, lifting the ban on onshore windfarms. The Prime Minister agreed that decisions on onshore wind will revert to local communities. He has also agreed there will no longer be any requirement for almost-unanimous support for new windfarm developments to go ahead.
Communities which agree to support onshore wind turbines could be rewarded with lower bills, the Government said.
A statement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said: “The Government commits to launching a technical consultation to explore how local authorities demonstrate local support and respond to views of their communities when considering onshore wind development in England.
“Decisions on onshore wind sites will continue to be made at a local level as these are best made by local representatives who know their areas best and are democratically accountable to the local community.
“To deliver a more localist approach, and its commitments in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government will consult on proposed changes to national planning policy. “Under the proposals, planning permission would be dependent on a project being able to demonstrate local support and appropriately address any impacts identified by the local community.
“Local authorities would also have to demonstrate their support for certain areas as being suitable for onshore wind, moving away from rigid requirements for sites to be designated in local plans.”
The climbdown comes just a day after Mr Sunak scrapped mandatory house-building targets in the face of another rebellion.
Currently onshore wind farms are effectively banned because just one objection can result in them being turned down as part of the planning process.
The new rules will still ensure that new windfarms will only be approved with local consent.
They will no longer require near unanimity in order to proceed.
The change comes after 34 Tories - including Mr Sunak’s two predecessors as prime minister - signed an amendment to Michael Gove’s Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill.
Simon Clarke, Mr Gove’s predecessor as levelling up secretary, who laid the rebel amendment, said: "I am delighted that the Government has come forward with what is a really sensible package designed to return decisions about new onshore wind to local communities.
"Poll after poll shows this is what people want to happen. What I and fellow Conservative MPs have said is simply that communities ought to be able to make this decision for themselves, rather than have Whitehall rule it out."
