Labour plans to fast-track countryside wind turbines

Party pledge raises fears that rural communities will be unable to oppose blots on the landscape

LABOUR has pledged to fast-track the building of wind and solar farms in the countryside, raising concerns rural communities will struggle to block net zero projects.

Under the party’s plans, the wait farmers face to get green energy schemes approved and connected to the grid by new pylons will be “slashed from years to months”.

Writing in The Telegraph, Daniel Zeichner, the shadow farming minister, said that the proposals showed that “Labour is the party that will deliver for rural Britain”.

He added that the reforms would “put money into the pockets of thousands of farmers and landowners” by allowing them to profit from the generation of clean power.

Labour is pushing hard to win over rural voters ahead of the election after admitting it has become “too detached” from the countryside over the past two decades.

But its plans sparked a backlash from Tory MPS and risk alienating some communities who oppose the building of wind turbines and solar panels on their doorstep.

Mr Zeichner, the MP for Cambridge, said the proposals will “protect the land, support farmers and bring down bills” while ensuring the agricultural sector achieves net zero.

“We must also support farmers as they diversify their income streams and make use of land that is not suitable for food production – by enabling them to build renewable energy and plug into the National Grid faster,” he wrote.

“Under the Conservatives, farmers and landowners have been left waiting years to plug their renewable energy into the grid. No more.”

Mr Zeichner accused Rishi Sunak of “flip-flops and backtracks on net zero” which would leave British farmers more exposed to severe weather in future.

He added: “With Labour, Britain’s rural communities will get their future back.”

But the remarks will add to fears that Labour could water down the powers of rural communities to block new solar panels, wind farms and pylons.

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “bulldoze through” opposition to development and rewrite planning law to end local vetoes over green energy projects.

The Labour leader said last June that “there has to come a point where, if we’re going to move forward, we don’t have simple individual vetoes across the whole of the country”.

He also told his party conference last October that he will “fight the blockers” to build more wind and solar farms and “lay the cables our future prosperity needs”.

Polling by Public First published at the time showed one in three Britons would oppose new power lines being built within three miles of their home.

But the consultancy said Labour will be “less vulnerable” to local protests because most green energy projects are set to be built in Tory constituencies.

Planning reform will be one of the major dividing lines at the next election, with the Conservatives accusing Sir Keir of planning to “concrete over the countryside”.

Labour plans to set councils binding targets for how quickly they approve green energy projects. It also wants officials to proactively find sites for them.

It has unveiled proposals to cut electricity bills for people living in communities near new wind farms, solar panels and lines of pylons.

Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, admitted last autumn that Labour has been “too detached” from rural voters and promised a more “respectful attitude”.

‘Farmers and landowners have been waiting years to plug their renewable energy into the grid’