Incentives for building wind farms

Author: Daily Telegraph - Nov 30, 2009

By offering incentives to communities to encourage them not to object to planning bids by wind farm developers, the party believes it could end the often bitter disputes which currently thwart many green projects.

As well as lower gas and electricity bills for up to 25 years, residents would be invited to share in the proceeds of business rates paid by wind farms for six years after they were built.

Communities will also be offered shares in local wind farms, allowing them to become part-owners and enjoy a stake of the profits.

Developers would be likely to offer shares as a way of avoiding getting “bogged down” in planning rows.

In a speech at Oxford University, Greg Clark, the shadow energy and climate secretary, criticised Labour’s handling of residents who opposed green technologies, saying their only tactic was to shame them into giving way.

He said: "Onshore wind is often a divisive subject, riven by bitter planning disputes – which are bad for climate change policy, bad for the wind power industry and bad for local communities.

“Labour's only solution is to demonise anyone who has the temerity to object. As well as being wrong, this is obviously counter productive.

“What the government should be doing is finding ways to solve some of the problems that lead to stalemate.

“I would argue that wind farm applications are often bogged down because there is no clear benefit to local communities in hosting them.

“But, in its characteristically centralising mindset, this government has made little effort to try and unlock any such benefits to local communities for hosting wind farms – instead seeking to demonise people when communities have objected.”

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