November 20, 2006
U.K.
U.K.
A proposed shake-up has left countryside campaigners fuming as it unveils plans to fast-track energy saving developments, such as wind farms, through the planning system.
The new plans, revealed by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling last week, state that councils and members of the public will only have 120 days to object.
The announcement is a bid to cut down on the time planners and planning inquiries take to deal with contentious schemes like wind farms and nuclear power stations.
Dominic Coupe, Northumberland spokesperson for Campaign to Protect Rural England, has raised doubts over the efficiency of the plans.
“A good planning system requires input and input takes time,” he said. “Without good quality input we won’t have good quality output.”
He said under the new plans developers would be able to spend as much time as necessary on their plans while objectors will only have four months to get their points heard.
He added: “The implication is that it could appear that this legislation favours developers and these developments, which have a lasting impact on the landscape, could be rail roaded through the system.”
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2006/11/20/wind-farm-shake-up-anger/