Recent proposals for new large wind turbines at Snave on Romney Marsh, and previously at Sellindge have rightly been controversial. These wind turbines would dominate the landscape; changing its character and impacting on the lives of local residents. If there is a future for wind energy in Kent it should be offshore, in large farms like the London Array in the outer Thames Estuary, not inland on the Romney Marsh. I don’t believe that there is a case for any more wind turbines being built on land in our district and I hope no more are.
Last week the government announced changes to the planning guidelines to give a much greater say to local communities opposed to the development of wind turbines; shifting the balance towards them and away from speculative developers. New planning guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government will make clear that any national or regional targets for renewable energy will not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local communities. It will also give greater weight to landscape and visual impact concerns, especially for heritage sites. These are important changes, as many communities I know have been frustrated when the Planning Inspector has used these targets in the past to overrule a refusal to a new wind turbine issued by the local council.
The law will be changed to make consultation with local communities compulsory for the more significant onshore wind projects, before planning permission is applied for. This will guarantee that local people can have their say at an earlier stage in more cases. Where local councils have identified areas suitable for wind farm projects they will not be obliged to give planning permission if they think the impact on the local area will be unacceptable.
Further announced changes to the planning guidelines are also helpful. Planning decisions should take into account the cumulative impact of wind turbines and properly reflect the increasing impact on the landscape and local amenity as the number of turbines in the area increases. This is helpful for an area like Romney Marsh, where we already have a the large wind farm . Also, the local landscape should be a factor in assessing whether wind turbines have a damaging impact. This recognises that the impact on predominantly flat landscapes, like the Marsh, can be as great or greater as on hilly or mountainous ones. Greater care also has to be given to ensure heritage assets, like the Royal Military Canal and the Romney Marsh churches are conserved in a manner appropriate to their significance, including the impact of wind farm proposals on views important to their setting.
There may of course be communities who want to support an application for a wind farm, and for these cases the government has made the financial benefit package much more generous for those that do. Local households would see a potentially large reduction in their annual energy bills, if they allow wind farms to be built in their area. For some families, this could help them save up to £400 a year.