George: AM objects to assault on local democracy
A Mid Wales Assembly Member has formally objected to the Welsh Government’s interference in Powys County Council’s Local Development Plan.
Russell George, AM for Montgomeryshire, has responded to a consultation on further focussed changes to Powys County Council’s LDP which will see the Welsh Government directing the local authority to identify Local Search Areas for the development of local-authority scale renewable energy schemes (5MW – 25MW) which are outside the scope of the existing extensive Strategic Search areas as introduced by Planning Policy Wales and its associated TAN 8.
As a result of direction from the Welsh Government through a series of “Dear Chief Planning Officers (CPO)” letters, which form part of the suite of documents supplementing Welsh Government Planning Policy, Powys County Council have been directed by the Welsh Government to provide a means by which a combination of the County’s onshore wind and solar energy sources must be used to generate an additional 600 MW of renewable energy.
In his response to the consultation, Mr George said:
“The top down nature of these policy revisions and the considerable additional powers which Welsh Ministers are accruing for themselves, especially over small scale renewable energy developments not only serve to undermine local democracy and adversely affect community engagement but severely undermine the credibility of the whole planning process in Wales.
“In reality, local opinion will become irrelevant and allowing this policy intervention represents a charter to ensure that major developments can take place anywhere across Powys, indeed across any part of Wales at the instruction of the Welsh Government, regardless of local circumstances or opinion.
“This is in direct contrast to the approach taken by the UK Government where an agenda of localism is being adopted and will also put Powys and neighbouring English authorities in direct conflict with one another over such schemes where impact will be cross border.
“I have grave concerns, not only as to the manner in which this policy approach has been proposed without due regard for the processes of strategic renewable energy policy formulation through national and public debate, but also in respect of the means by which the Welsh Government now seeks to embed this specific policy approach into the Powys Development Plan process at its final “refinement” stage.
“In my view, it is clear that there is neither the justification for, nor evidence base to support this proposed policy approach and I urge Powys County Council to resist any attempt by the Welsh Government to exert undue influence over its Local Development Plan. Submission to such pressures will not only erode local democracy and strip decision making away from elected representatives of the Authority but will also set a dangerous precedent that other Planning Authorities in Wales will be pressurised to follow.”
“I passionately believe that efforts should be made to ensure that important planning decisions are made closest to the people they affect. These recent interventions by Welsh Government, reflect their desire to further centralise the important powers of elected representatives, thereby denying local people a voice and most importantly eroding the principles of local democracy.”