Cautious welcome for wind farm planning

THE Government's decision to allow local planners a say in the siting of new wind farms has received a cautious welcome from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

In its newly published policy statement on climate change and planning, Whitehall agrees that local planning authorities should have the right to lay down rules to protect local landscapes and towns.

This comes as a relief to conservations, for the Government is setting up a new body to consider the siting of "major" new developments like airports and power stations and many feared that windfarms would also be excluded from local input.

However, the CPRE regrets that there is not enough encouragement in the new policy for developers to build into new housing projects "mini" energy creation schemes like micro-generation plants.

Overall, the campaigners give the new policies "two cheers" instead of a hearty three.