Apertus Group Welcomes Lifting of Ban on Onshore Wind Farms

Local energy consultancy Apertus Group has welcomed the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announcement that the new Government plans to reform the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to end the ban on onshore wind in England.  

Onshore wind has been effectively banned since the days of David Cameron’s Conservative government by two footnotes within the NPPF, the rules that control the building of new homes and infrastructure. The footnotes put unreasonable burdens on onshore wind plans to prove that there was no local opposition to new turbines, which in effect made building new turbines impossible.  

While the outgoing Conservative government had made commitments to end the ban in in 2023, no action was taken during the last Parliament. Labour committed to ending the ban in their manifesto and will be lifting it as part of their wider reforms to the planning system.       

Energy experts, including Apertus Group, have welcomed the decision. Apertus’ Head of Energy Services Jon Newsham commented: “The new Government’s early action on this matter is encouraging and we’re glad to see that this has been a priority for them. Public support for lifting the ban has remained high and removing barriers to clean energy infrastructure is a positive development.  

“The technology behind wind power has drastically improved in recent years, meaning much more energy can be produced by far fewer turbines. It will still be some time before any new projects come online as industry will need to adapt, construction will take time and there will still be planning guidelines to meet; but building new onshore wind farms offers a relatively low-cost way of increasing the country’s energy security and moving towards meeting net zero targets.”  

Apertus Group can help businesses with their energy procurement strategy, as well as assisting with solar panel procurement and installation. No matter their energy priorities, Apertus Group can help businesses get the right deal for them.  

Get in touch on 01604 212828 or visit apertusgroup.co.uk