This in from Andrew Turner’s office, commenting on the changes on Wind Farms that were floated Nationally this morning. In their words. Ed
Andrew Turner, the Island’s MP, is welcoming new rules which will give local communities greater say on whether wind-farms should be built on their Island and further afield.
Measures announced today
The measures to be announced today will require communities to be consulted earlier, with pre-application consultation for significant onshore projects. It will also increase the value of community benefits that must be funded by developers for those projects that do go ahead.
Although the Island has been able to prevent wind-farms being built so far, nationally many wind-farm projects have been approved that have flown in the face of local opinion. The new planning guidelines will give greater weight to local environmental issues such as heritage, landscape and local amenity considerations.
No automatic renewables override
The new planning framework from the Department for Communities and Local Government will also make it clear that the need to achieve renewable energy projects will not automatically override the planning policies of local authorities and environmental, landscape and visual impact concerns. The new guidance will be available shortly.
The Community Benefit Protocol will be increased fivefold – to £5,000 per year per MW installed for the life of the project. Developers and communities will work together to decide how that money should be used.
Turner: “I have lobbied the Government on this issue”
Mr Turner said,
“Working with more than 100 Conservative colleagues I have lobbied the Government on this issue. I very much welcome these announcements. The most important change is that people will have the chance to have a real say on these projects very much earlier in the process. After all it is their lives which will be affected. It is planned that this will discourage poorly-sited turbines and those which simply do not have proper justification.
“On the Island the Council has worked very hard to ensure that wind-farms were kept at bay, but there was always a chance of appeals. This will be made much more difficult under these changes.
“At the moment the financial benefits of on-shore wind are weighed far too heavily in favour of the developer. If local people do decide to accept wind turbines near to their homes they should also reap some of the benefits. I am sure these announcements will be welcomed here on the Island.”
Image: pkorsmok under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
