It has been very difficult for onshore wind farms to get planning permission since David Cameron put in place a tough consent regime in 2015. Earlier this year, Kwarteng pushed for the restrictions to be lifted but met with cabinet opposition. The regime will now be relaxed, with the chancellor’s development plan stating: “The Government will unlock the potential of onshore wind by aligning consent with other infrastructure. The UK is a world leader in offshore wind, with 8 GW of offshore wind under construction. By 2023, the government is set to increase renewable energy capacity by 15%, supporting the UK’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.” Although the government has played down its decision to allow companies to further explore fracking, few experts believe it is likely to produce much gas in the near future. Unlocking the potential for onshore wind projects could be a much faster and more productive way to boost electricity supplies and help lower prices. Some Tory MPs oppose wind farms as a blight on the landscape, but public attitudes are much more supportive of the technology. Jess Ralston, senior analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “A ban on onshore wind – which around eight in 10 people support – has been a major anomaly in UK energy policy as it is both cheap and popular with the public. So a decision to lift the ban suggests the new government has listened to the experts and understands that building more British renewables reduces our reliance on expensive natural gas and so lowers bills.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network, said: “We warmly welcome the changes to speed up planning for offshore wind farms, to lift the ban on English onshore wind farms and to fund the cost of legacy renewables off general taxation. Renewables and insulation will not only permanently reduce bills and speed up progress towards net zero, but will boost our energy security and protect the UK from Vladimir Putin’s weaponization of Russian gas supplies” .
