Onshore wind ban 'cost economy £900m'

The de facto ban on new onshore wind farms in England cost £900m in lost economic impact, according to a new report.

The controversial policy, which was introduced in 2014 by the previous Conservative Government, allowed a single local objection to block wind farm development in England.

Consultancy Turley said the decision led to the immediate rejection or withdrawal of 54 planning applications for onshore wind and in estimates that around 2.3GW of onshore wind power could have been generated during the decade the policy was in place.

The Labour Government announced it was lifting the de facto ban in July 2024 and has now set itself the target of achieving 27-29GW of onshore wind power by 2030 across the UK.