Easing the wind farm ban is positive

The changes involve broadening the ways in which sites can be identified, and are intended to speed up the planning process with a view to unlocking the potential for a significant expansion of this energy option within our borders.

The government says this will “ensure the whole community has a say, not just a small number of objectors – paving the way for more onshore wind projects to come online where they have community support”.

The community-based request format seeks to address the desire for more engagement from energy consumers. It will be interesting to see how much of a centralised approach to this is put in place, in light of the urgency local authorities need to place on processing any requests.

Historically, the adoption of these kinds of initiatives has frequently been fragmented. But given the vital importance of this particular access expansion for onshore wind farm projects, hopefully, avoiding this pitfall will be prioritised.

Local development orders and community right-to-build orders could also help facilitate requests and significantly speed up the process of granting planning permission. This will be welcome news for developers in this sector, if these do translate into an increase in onshore wind farm development.

While central government has set the precedent of seeking to improve the process of granting planning permission in this area, it is only part of the picture, and local authorities will be mindful to ensure concerns and requests from individual communities are properly prioritised where taking appropriate action is concerned.

Indeed, it may act as a key performance indicator for local councils looking to ensure they are response- and action-ready where the needs of the area they serve are concerned.

Helen Emmerson is a partner at law firm Gowling WLG