The First Minister for Wales has been challenged by a local AM to follow the UK Government’s lead and empower communities to stop wind farm developments before planning permission is sort.
Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, took the opportunity to raise the issue with the First Minister, Carwyn Jones AM, during this week’s scheduled plenary questions.
Mr George said that the announcement made last week by UK Ministers on changes to planning policy and guidance for onshore wind farms under 50MW, has meant that an even ‘greater divergence’ in policy has emerged between England and Wales.
He also stated that with an effective presumption in favour of wind farm developments in Wales due to TAN 8, communities across Wales will now want to know when they will be empowered locally to stop a development at its earliest possible stage, if they do not want it to proceed in their area.
In response, Mr Jones said that while the announcement last week looked ‘superficially attractive’, there were significant problems in trying to ensure all those people who live within a given community are properly consulted. He went on to say that he thought ‘robust’ guidance was already in place in Wales to allow local planning authorities to fully exercise their functions.
Commenting, Mr George said:
"I am of course disappointed that firstly the First Minister did not answer my question and secondly that he thinks the views of local communities in Powys are somehow worth less than those a few miles over the border in Shropshire.
"The importance of the announcement last week was it showed that UK Ministers are listening to the concerns of communities that currently feel under siege by the development of onshore wind farms against their will and are empowering them to take decisive action as early as possible.
"However in Wales, the First Minister and his colleagues arrogantly believe that they are right and the views of local communities do not matter."
Mr George said that he would be pursing this issue further with the Welsh Government.