Onshore wind rules to be relaxed after Tory revolt

The government has pledged to relax restrictions on building onshore wind farms in England after a threatened rebellion from Conservative MPs.

A rule requiring new turbines to be built on pre-designated land will be rewritten, the levelling up department said.

Around 30 backbenchers had threatened to make the change through a planning bill going through Parliament.

New wind farms would still be subject to local approval.

The precise method of measuring local opinion will be part of a wider consultation which will conclude by next April.

The concession comes after the government agreed to water down housing targets on Monday, to put down a separate rebellion from Tory MPs.

The rebellions had prompted the government to delay the progress of its Levelling Up Bill through Parliament.

Former minister Simon Clarke, who led the rebellion on wind farms, said the concessions offered by the government were a “really sensible package”.

He added that it would ensure decisions on new projects are made locally “rather than have Whitehall rule it out”.

Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy, said ministers had been “forced into this position because they’re too weak to stand up to another backbench rebellion”.

She said her party would “need to see the detail” – but warned against a possible “fudge that leaves in place a very restrictive system for onshore wind”.

She added that Labour’s own plan, under which the approvals process would be aligned with other energy infrastructure, would lead to a doubling of capacity.