November 14, 2012
England

Sleaford MP Stephen Phillips leads debate against wind farms

Sleaford Target | November 14, 2012 | www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk

The MP for Sleaford has been standing up for local residents in the debate against wind farms.

Stephen Phillips led a debate last week in Westminster Hall on issues surrounding planning and onshore wind turbines in Lincolnshire.

Stephen called the debate to raise questions with the minister about the balance in planning between renewable energy targets and localism.

He also called for more clarity in guidance to ensure that communities have a proper say in decisions about wind farm developments.

In his speech in the debate, Stephen said: “The nature of our county inevitably means that turbines have a larger impact on residents in Lincolnshire than they perhaps do in other areas.

“Constituents who live near and far from proposed sites are thus properly concerned that even a small number of turbines have an overwhelming, disproportionate and oppressive visual impact, and they are often understandably worried about the effect of turbines on the value of their properties.”

The responsible minister, Don Foster MP, replying for the Government said that there was an appetite for onshore wind in this country and that two thirds of the public believed that it was the way forward.

He did say the Government believed that if they were going to have wind farms they would have to be sited correctly and that Mr Phillips was right to have raised concerns about cases in which he believed that was not happening.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/14/sleaford-mp-stephen-phillips-leads-debate-against-wind-farms/