Prime minister Rishi Sunak is set to withdraw onshore windfarm building ban to avoid rebellion from the Conservative Party.
The government is now planning to introduce planning rule changes that allow local councils to make decisions about turbines as MPs prepare to vote on the government’s energy bill tomorrow (Tuesday 4 September) after returning from their summer break.
Government sources said the changes would allow councils to “more flexibly address the planning impacts of onshore wind projects as identified by local communities,” as reported by the Telegraph.
The amendment to scrap the ban on new offshore wind was put forward by the former Cop26 president Alok Sharma and has since drawn support from a group of Tories.
Sharma said: “The government committed to change planning rules by the end of April 2023 to overturn the de facto ban on onshore wind, but this has not happened to date.
“This amendment therefore seeks merely to deliver on the government’s own promise and help to unlock investment in one of the cheapest forms of energy, and ultimately bring down household bills and improve the UK’s energy security,” he added.
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The Telegraph reported that Labour Party also supports the withdrawal, meaning only six more Tory backbenchers would need to vote in favour to overturn the government’s majority.
Ministers have been locked in talks with MPs for almost a week over a “compromise” deal to avoid a bruising Commons defeat.
Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said the “compromise”d eal looks similar to a revised planning guidance that was consulted at the beginning of 2023, which was rejected by onshore wind developers due to risk.
He said in a statement the compromise is an “example of this government deliberately blocking this country from having genuine energy security, lower bills and clean power.”
“Why should onshore wind face more planning obstacles than new housing or roads when it’s one of the cheapest, greenest and fastest forms of electricity to develop? The truth is that Sunak seems to be fudging this amendment to try and appease his backbench MPs with an ideological opposition to wind turbines,” he added.
Negotiations are set to continue today (Monday 4 September) as the final details are planned, especially on how quickly the government will be able to legally scrap the onshore wind ban.
But the Telegraph reports that plans are being drawn up for a minister to submit a written statement to the Commons this week committing to change the current planning rules.
One Tory MP who is supporting the amendment said the government had little choice but to act, given it was supported by “senior people from all wings of the party”.
