In our previous blog post, we delved into the details of the Labour Party Manifesto 2024, focusing on its implications for planning reform. Point 5 of our 16-point summary highlighted the Governments urgent need to revise the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This revision includes specific changes related to onshore wind farms.

During their campaign Labour stated that “to deliver our clean power mission, Labour will work with the private sector to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030”

During the Conservative Government, onshore wind farms were effectively banned via footnotes 57 and 58 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). These footnotes specifically targeted onshore wind farms, imposing stringent requirements for local support and making it extremely difficult to build turbines unless the areas were designated within local plans or development orders for this purpose.

The new Government has already confirmed in a ‘Policy Statement on Onshore Wind’ issued on the 8th July 2024 that footnotes 57 and 58 in the NPPF no longer apply. This means that onshore wind projects will now be considered on an equal basis with all other types of infrastructure. This change will be officially confirmed to parliament when it resumes sitting on the 18th July and will be reflected in the forthcoming NPPF update. Labour also announced that it will take an additional step by considering whether to classify large wind farms as nationally significant infrastructure projects to support quick determination.

These changes will lead to more opportunities for the development of renewable energy projects. If you would like to discuss the implications of these changes, please feel free to reach out to one of our expert planning consultants.

advice@wilsonwraight.co.uk

Published 16th July 2024