Ed Miliband has sparked a political storm after pushing through new rules that strip local councils of their ability to block giant windfarm developments – handing the final say to himself.
In a dramatic shift reported by The Telegraph, the Labour Energy Secretary has reclassified all large onshore wind farms as “nationally significant infrastructure projects,” meaning they’ll now bypass local planning authorities altogether.
Under the new rules, any windfarm generating over 100 megawatts will go straight to the national Planning Inspectorate, with Miliband himself signing off the final decision – no matter the local opposition.
Critics are branding the move a “power grab”, with fears it will unleash a wave of “mega turbines” – some predicted to tower over 800ft high, a size previously seen only offshore.
This week’s Commons vote saw Labour MPs rally behind Miliband, despite cross-party objections from both the Conservatives and Reform UK.
The change follows Miliband’s move last year to lift the Conservatives’ long-standing de facto ban on onshore wind, opening the floodgates for hundreds of projects across England.
Developers are already eyeing wind-rich counties like Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Devon, with many expected to propose the tallest turbines allowed. Scotland and Wales have already seen applications for turbines up to 900ft – roughly three times taller than most existing English wind farms.
The biggest so far was approved in Scotland last autumn – a whopping 823ft structure, nearly as tall as The Shard.
With no clear spatial planning rules in England, concerns are growing that the countryside could be peppered with clusters of turbines, especially around grid substations. Only protected areas like national parks are safe.
‘Free-for-all for wind developers’
Conservative energy spokesman Andrew Bowie didn’t mince his words, warning of a “literal free-for-all” under the new regime:
“This order provides a route to approval for onshore wind, which entirely bypasses the consent of local communities and empowers the zealotry of the Secretary of State to impose infrastructure irrespective of the concerns of local people.”
Lib Dem energy spokeswoman Pippa Heylings echoed concerns, slamming the policy as “a power grab” and warning developers are being “let off the hook” for environmental impacts:
“Nature is not a blocker, it’s an enabler of good growth and wellbeing.”
Lizzie Bundred Woodward, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, accused the Government of “dismissing people with real ideas and solutions as ‘blockers’.” Jonathan Dean, from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, went further, warning of a developer “gold rush” across England’s hills and meadows:
“Poor England – Wales weeps for you, but welcome to the ‘gold rush’ where developers will ‘stake claims’ on every hilltop, valley and meadow.”
An Energy Department spokesperson defended the changes, saying:
“It’s only right that larger onshore wind projects are treated in the same way as comparable solar, offshore wind and nuclear power stations… Communities, planning authorities and residents will continue to have a say on onshore wind projects through the extensive requirements of the approvals process.”
With more than 9,200 onshore turbines already spinning in the UK – most under 2 megawatts and built over a decade ago – this new era could dramatically change the British landscape like never before.
The countryside fight is blowing in the wind.
Read the Telegraph’s story in full here.
