Cornwall

The number and size of wind farm developments in Cornwall has already exceeded the ability of the landscape to successfully accommodate them.  Therefore, CPRE Cornwall puts forward a new, holistic approach in the county to address the problems of climate change without more wind farms and the destruction of the county’s special environment.  CPRE Cornwall suggests a policy founded on seven principles which are outlined below and then explained in more detail in section 4.

1.     A totally holistic approach to addressing climate change and not just focusing on one or two parts of it. This will require solutions and developments which must be truly sustainable (defined at the end of this document) and which work with, not against, the environment of the county.  

2.       An approach that has widespread public support through a comprehensive community engagement at all times and at all stages, including overseeing implementation and monitoring success.

3.       A far greater focus and priority to be given to conserving energy and managing demand thereby reducing the need to generate so much additional capacity. At National level this may include switching financial incentives away from wind farms to incentives to encourage improvements to be made to the vast amount of existing buildings in the county to reduce their energy consumption. 

4.       Adoption of policies which seek to harness free passive solar gain in all new building projects from the initial design and concept stages through to completion, to reduce in the long term the demands for additional energy from other sources 

5.       Adoption of policies which require new developments to supplement the use of passive solar gain with other onsite energy generation options, such as combined heat and power plants or geo-thermal  solutions and techniques, that reduce to the absolute minimum the need for additional energy to be generated offsite. 

6.       Action to harness other free means of generating energy particularly via the tide and waves subject to no adverse impact on the coastline. 

7.       Recognition that the time has come for a comprehensive assessment of the county’s landscape to be undertaken to identify any possible sites where a wind energy generation proposal might be successfully integrated into the countryside. 

1. Background. 

1.1 There can now be no doubt that climate change is happening. Many see it as the greatest threat to our countryside. While the scale of its potential impact is still being quantified and debated, it is clear that decisive action is needed now to reduce our CO2 emissions.  CPRE Cornwall supports the need for decisive action to address the consequences of climate change.         

1.2 While there is general consensus about the need for action, there is not the same agreement as to the nature and extent of that action. In terms of one of the major causes of CO2, energy generation, the Government’s policy has  been mainly to switch from traditional means of energy generation to renewable ones like harnessing wind power.  To date the focus has been on looking at different ways to produce more energy. The same attention and resources are not being focused on managing the demand for energy, and more importantly conserving energy. The management of demand along with energy conservation and energy generation are the three main variables relating to our energy use. Managing our demand for energy and the conservation of energy will have little, if any, adverse impact on the environment which is not the case with energy generation. 

1.3 In relation to energy other issues are also important. These include: the need for the country to be more self sustaining in terms of its energy generation; the need for security of supply; and the need for a greater variety of ways in which to generate electrical energy. Much of the attention remains aimed at discussions on energy generation by different means. The Government response has been to focus on certain policy responses in an individual way.  They have renewed the commitment to energy generation by renewable means and have ensured that Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) have targets to achieve this. 

1.4 Harnessing wind power has generated a large number of planning applications for wind farms and turbines. A significant number of proposals have been built and approved in the county and further applications have been submitted.  The central spine of the county along the A30 corridor is now dominated by wind turbines. Wind farms have proved very unpopular locally. Some have been proposed and allowed to be built on environmentally sensitive sites, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As a consequence, Cornwall probably now has the largest concentrations of wind farms than in any other English county. Yet the number of planning applications to build additional farms continues to grow despite their unpopularity and cumulative impact.  

1.5 It is the cumulative impact of wind turbines and wind farms that is now a major concern in Cornwall. The environment of Cornwall is unique and highly appreciated. It attracts many visitors to the county and is a major economic strength. Yet it appears that the environment, a precious and finite resource, might be sacrificed to help deliver targets for renewable energy generation in the county. CPRE Cornwall is now of the opinion that irrevocable harm is being caused by wind farms and turbines to the county’s environment and asks the question – “Does it have to be like this”?  The answer to the question is the hands of the people of the County, the decision makers and those who seek to influence them. This Position Statement seeks to shape decisions and influence decision makers by setting out what local people want, and how our response to the climate change problem can be achieved whilst at the same time keeping Cornwall’s environment precious and safe.

2 The Policy Position 

National Policy Position 

2.1 This is, in part, set out nationally in the Government’s Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) titled “Renewable Energy”. It primarily deals with wind turbines and wind farms. Without quoting large sections of it, in summary it encourages Councils and Local Planning Authorities not to put unnecessary hurdles in the way of applications for renewable energy generation proposals, such as wind turbines and wind farms; believing that to a degree all locations are capable of accommodating them. It seeks to encourage LPAs and Councils to help deliver them as they represent a major opportunity to offset the adverse effects of climate change. It advises that targets for renewable energy generation should be set at regional and local level. 

2.2 The cumulative impact of renewable energy proposals such as turbines and farms is cited as an issue planning authorities can take into account. Precisely at what stage the cumulative impact becomes an issue or problem to warrant refusal of new applications is not stated.  

2.3 As most wind turbines and wind farms are proposed to be built in the countryside, Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS7) “Sustainable Development in Rural Areas” is of equal importance to PPS22. This sets out the Government’s intentions for the countryside. It seeks to protect the countryside for the sake of its intrinsic character and beauty. In nationally designated and protected landscapes such an AONB, major developments should not take place unless they are in the wider public interest. Major developments should, the Government states, only be granted where it can be demonstrated that such designated areas will not be compromised by the development, and any significant adverse effects on the qualities for which the area has been designated are clearly outweighed by the environmental, social and economic benefits. 

2.4 The Government has set national renewable energy targets.  They want 10% of UK electricity to be provided from renewable energy sources by 2010 and 20% by 2020, though it has to be remembered that renewable energy is not just wind energy!