How Cornwall is stopping communities becoming a ‘soft target’ for nimbys
This article introduces an interesting perspective into the wind farm debate, showing how some community schemes can be given legs by new local planning initiatives. It explains:
Some local authorities are taking steps to ensure that community-led renewables projects are not at a disadvantage. Cornwall council is one of them. Having already developed a revolving loan fund for green energy schemes, it is now developing supplementary planning guidance (SPG) to explain the national policy on community renewables and what it means for schemes in Cornwall. If adopted, the SPG is expected to come into force next year, alongside a new local plan for the area.
One of the issues facing planning officers and committees is what weight to give to the fact that a scheme is community-owned, when they are faced with objections. This is particularly a problem with onshore wind farms, which have faced opposition in some areas. Lea (community energy enthusiasts) says that he has known of renewables proposals with significant community backing and the potential to bring many local benefits that are refused after attracting local objections.
Cornwall’s SPG is designed to overcome this problem. Dan Nicholls, the council’s principal planning officer, says the guidance sets out what is meant by a community-owned scheme and describes the type of projects that should be supported, so there is no room for ambiguity. “There does appear to be some confusion about what a community-led project is and what weight you apply to the NPPF,” he explains.
Nicholls says that the SPG should help to clarify how much community involvement in a scheme carries weight when an application is challenged. Rather than defining too specifically community-led schemes, it explains clearly what decision makers are looking for based on a hierarchy with full community ownership at the top. That way, it would not exclude emerging models of community renewables or private schemes providing significant community benefits, Nicholls explains.