Natural England - Making room for wind energy conference 2010

Making room for wind energy conference 2010

On Tuesday 9th March 2010 representatives of organisations involved in onshore wind energy developments from across the North East met in Durham to discuss the issues raised by the number of new wind farm development proposals in the region.

The conference was organised by Natural England’s North East Region in partnership with the Association of North East Councils (ANEC) and Government Office for the North East. The event provided an opportunity for the energy industry, government departments, planning authorities, nature conservation organisations and other interest groups to exchange information and share views about wind farm developments in the region.

More than 60 delegates representing a diverse range of attitudes to wind energy proposals were represented at the conference, which was held at The Three Tuns Hotel in Durham on Tuesday 9th March.

Rob Aubrook, Natural England’s regional director for the North East, said: “We wanted to provide an opportunity to bring together a wide range of delegates involved in wind farm issues across the North East to share their views on this often controversial subject.

“The majority of people accept that wind energy has a contribution to make to achieve a low carbon economy, but there is concern that a major expansion could have significant negative implications for the natural environment. I hope that by holding this event we have helped the industry, policy makers, planners and campaign groups to recognise the need for applications for new wind farms to be delivered within a clear and understandable strategic framework, with high quality applications for appropriate developments proposed in the right places.

“Natural England is already consulted on around 15,000 various planning applications nationally every year. In the future we want to see proposals for new wind farms to be efficiently and effectively managed by the planning process so that appropriate developments occur where they will cause the least harm.”

Mary Edwards, Senior Planning Officer, Government Office for the North East, said: “The ‘Making Space for Wind Energy' conference was an excellent event which brought together key national and regional stakeholders. The Region continues to make a valuable contribution to tackling climate change and energy security and is also uniquely placed to benefit from the related manufacturing and research opportunities in relation to wind energy, both on and off shore.

“Government has just issued a consultation on a Planning Policy Statement: 'Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate' which will help councils plan for the provision of low carbon and renewable energy in their areas.”

Claire Megginson, planning manager for the Association of North East Councils, said: “This event presented an excellent opportunity for us to work together with people with different interests in relation to the wind energy debate. Participants recognised the important contribution that wind energy can make to our economic and low carbon future, while recognising the need to balance the impact on our natural landscape and local communities.

"Planning has a key role to play, and the Association is contributing to the debate through ongoing research into all types of renewable energy. We are also working in partnership with the region's 12 local authorities in developing approaches to planning for the future.”

You can view each of the presentations in the related articles section of this page.

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