Big wind is about to hit little England. A survey of local authorities has revealed those most willing to welcome the development of new turbines across the countryside that will herald Ed Miliband’s planned wind farm revolution.
Lumify Energy, a leading wind power consultancy, has examined the local plans of dozens of English local authorities to see which are most likely to welcome wind farm developments – potentially making them the first to be targeted for new turbines.
It has found 44 authorities that positively favour wind farm developments, covering three national parks, several cities and thousands of square miles of English farmland and countryside.
They include the Lake District National Park, North Norfolk, County Durham, Mid Sussex, Stroud and Teignbridge.
It follows the Energy Secretary’s announcement that wind developers will no longer have to win the clear support of local people to be allowed to build even the largest of wind farms. Mr Miliband is soon expected to go further, moving planning applications for larger wind farms out of local authority control, into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project scheme – where he and his officials will make the final decisions.
And on Friday, Mr Miliband set out his stall by approving three massive and highly controversial solar farms in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire spanning thousands of acres.
All three – Mallard Pass, Sunnica and Burton Gate – were vociferously opposed by local communities, but Mr Miliband overrode them within days of taking office.
But experts believe public perception is changing.
“People have come around to the benefits of wind power,” says Travis Benn, co-founder of Lumify.
“Gone are the days when I would hear from unhappy farmers who had received death threats for having wind turbines on their land.
“We need to build new wind farms to overcome the UK’s shortage of energy, bring down energy prices, boost the UK’s economy and protect our environment for our future generations to enjoy.”
Others will disagree. Wind farms may generate low carbon energy but critics argue they are also highly intrusive, damage tranquil landscapes and create a nuisance for surrounding neighbourhoods owing to light flicker and noise pollution.
The onshore battlegrounds
According to Lumify’s analysis of local plans submitted by England’s local authorities and others with planning authority, 31 had previously approved policies favourable to wind development, with a further 13 having similarly positive regimes but in draft form.
Those authorities represent only 21pc of the total with many of the remainder holding back.
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is of three national parks authorities, including Exmoor and the North York Moors, regions where there has long been a presumption against wind turbines because of their landscape impacts.
The Lake District National Park’s local plan makes clear its support, albeit for smaller turbines. “We want to increase the proportion of energy generated by renewable and low carbon sources…The whole of the Lake District has been identified as suitable for small-scale wind energy development.” Small-scale tends to refer to turbines up to 100ft tall.
North Norfolk council, home to designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has also said it will allow wind turbines up to 527ft high, mostly on former airfields such as Little Snoring and West Raynham.
Others have gone further, mapping out the areas where they would hope to see wind developments.
Northumberland county council, for example, has drawn up maps showing large tracts of countryside in the west of the county that could be suitable for turbines up to 450ft tall.
Cotswold district council is planning a similar mapping exercise with a draft local plan that pledges to “identify suitable areas for wind energy development”.
Such councils represent some of England’s most treasured landscapes where a surge in wind developments is almost certain to generate local protests.
It was a backlash from local communities that forced David Cameron to impose a moratorium on new onshore wind farms as prime minister in 2015.
Between 2011 and 2015, 435 wind farms were constructed in England, prompting Cameron to remove key subsidies and alter planning rules so that further developments would need full backing from the local community. Less than 20 wind farms have been allowed since then.
Some of the biggest battles against wind farms were fought in the west country, particularly Devon, where campaigners from organisations such as the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) are once again preparing for conflict.
“Devon CPRE group led the fight against many onshore wind farm and wind turbine applications some 10 years ago,” says Sharon Goble, its director. “At the time, it was an issue that split families and led to rifts within rural communities. We would hate to see that happen again.
“We oppose them for aesthetic reasons, where they are in danger of despoiling valuable landscapes. There are already dozens of individual industrial scale wind turbines in Devon, as well as several large wind farms. They have had a devastating impact on Devon’s landscape. We don’t want any more.”
Developers suggest such objections can be overcome using a mix of careful planning and “community benefits”, where local people impacted by new wind farms are offering lower bills, new amenities and other sweeteners.
“The immediate changes [introduced by Miliband] are very much welcome but the key will be how new applications are treated,” says Bruce Valpy, Managing Director, BVG Associates, a wind industry consultancy.
He suggests the Government should adopt a strategic approach as has happened in Wales where swathes of the countryside, far larger than council areas, have been marked out for wind developments.
Some expect such a proposal from Miliband who is expected to announce a consultation on onshore wind planning regime shortly.
“Our mission involves doubling onshore wind, trebling solar, quadrupling offshore wind…and backing nuclear and other clean energy technologies,” he told a recent conference.
A study by RenewableUK, the trade body, suggests that for now the greatest surge in wind farm development will still be in Scotland and Wales, because many schemes are already in planning.
Scotland is expected to double its existing 5,000 turbines, with Wales expected to nearly triple its wind generation with a surge of new turbines added to the 1,000 in place.
Sizing up
The moratorium on developments has allowed a new generation of turbine to emerge, meaning these new generators are likely to be much larger than existing devices and reach as high as 300ft.
For example the ”Workhorse” onshore turbines supplied by leading manufacturers GE Vernova, are up to 820ft tall.
And the impacts go beyond landscapes. Wind farm construction means drilling massive holes in the ground to install concrete foundations. It also means laying cables and building sub-stations. Usually a brand new road is needed too.
How will developers get permission for such large machines?
In both Scotland and Wales the surge in onshore wind was enabled by stripping local authorities of their planning powers over big wind and handing them to central governments.
And in both it has also led to protest groups springing up all over the countryside.
Across Wales, anti-wind campaigners have sprung up in towns and villages from Anglesey in the north to Powys in the south.
In Scotland there are similar local groups but now nationally coordinated by umbrella group Scotland Against Spin – which is campaigning to reform the planning laws that have allowed so many turbines.
Will there be a similar backlash in England?
Vicky Ellis of CPRE in Kent suggests there may be many such battles to come. “We are extremely worried that thought and consideration will come second to profit and greed. Whilst we support renewable energy in its various forms, it must be done right.
“Trashing nature and disregarding communities’ wellbeing is not the way to grow renewable energy in this country.”
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