Onshore Wind Farms
Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government
2:30 pm
Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty, Conservative)
What guidance his Department has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on planning appeals concerning onshore wind farms.
Greg Clark (Minister of State (Decentralisation), Communities and Local Government; Tunbridge Wells, Conservative)
The Planning Inspectorate has received the same advice as local authorities: the Government’s commitment to abolish the regional spatial strategies, including the targets for renewable energy, can be taken into account as a material consideration in planning decisions.
Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty, Conservative)
Has the Planning Inspectorate been instructed to take into account the views of local residents, campaign groups and communities during the appeal process?
Greg Clark (Minister of State (Decentralisation), Communities and Local Government; Tunbridge Wells, Conservative)
As I suggested, the Localism Act 2011 abolishes top-down imposition and releases local communities to have their say, and with the new planning framework it will be unambiguously clear that it is local communities that do things their way.