Kit Malthouse, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for North West Hampshire, has said today that, if elected, he will vote against plans for thousands more publicly subsidised wind turbines.
The plans emerged after one of Britain’s biggest wind farm companies revealed that in private discussions senior opposition figures have given ‘very strong support for onshore wind in one-to-one conversations’.
Conservatives are the only party that would end the public subsidy for newly planned onshore wind farms in the UK. A Conservative Government would also ensure that any unsubsidised large-scale onshore wind farms that are brought forward are determined through the locally-led planning system – not the national infrastructure regime – meaning local people would be in control.
Conservatives in Government have already changed planning rules to give greater protection for landscape and heritage – and are promising to go further and amend planning policy in England to give even greater protection to locally valued landscape, heritage and other local concerns.
Kit Malthouse commented:
“Many families in North West Hampshire, who are concerned that wind farms could be approved locally without their views being heard, will be appalled to hear about these plans for a massive expansion of onshore wind. We have already seen the strong views of people in the constituency after the dramatic outcry over the failed Buillington Cross wind farm.
I am a strong supporter of renewable green energies such as hydrogen fuel cells which are being rolled out in cars later this year, but I believe that supporting on-shore wind farms is a step backward.”