Miliband plots garden windfarm revolution
The Energy Secretary has announced a consultation on relaxing planning rules governing the construction of turbines on residential and commercial properties.
The aim is to make it easier for farmers, people living in semi-detached houses and business owners to install the machines on their land.
Garden or rooftop wind turbines can help homeowners and small businesses cut their power bills by generating electricity for direct consumption. Excess power can be used to charge batteries or be sold to the grid.
However, a surge in unrestricted development of the devices could prove a flash point in local communities.
Andrew Bowie, the shadow energy spokesman, also accused the Mr Miliband of 'trying to turn the nation's suburbs into a giant wind farm'.
Details of the consultation emerged in Mr Miliband's new onshore wind strategy, published on Friday, which sets out plans to double onshore wind generation by 2030. Boosting 'small scale' wind power is at the heart of his plans.
The proposals were welcomed by environmental campaigners who said they would improve energy security and create jobs.
However, wildlife charities raised concerns that Labour's development push could endanger habitats.
Under current regulations, only owners of detached homes can install a turbine on their property without seeking planning permission.
But Mr Miliband wants to relax the rules to allow property owners to be able to install the machines under so-called permitted development rights, meaning they would no longer have to seek formal planning permission.
The Energy Secretary said: 'Onshore wind will play a critical role in boosting our energy independence with clean power by 2030.
'Every turbine we build helps protect families, businesses and the public finances from future fossil fuel shocks ... As part of this, we will consult on how permitted development rights can support the rollout of small-scale onshore wind.'
The proposals would allow millions more homeowners to install wind turbines without seeking permission. Only 23pc of UK homes are detached whereas about 55pc are semi-detached or terraced.
The consultation will also look at allowing businesses to install turbines without planning permission and consider whether to let bigger machines be installed.
Current regulation only allows turbines up to a maximum height of 11.1 meters, or 15 meters when mounted on buildings.
Mr Bowie said: 'We are clearly through the looking glass now. Ed Miliband admitting he can't meet his madcap targets without putting wind turbines in every garden in the land. This eco madness needs to end.'
Richard Tice, energy spokesman for Reform UK, said: 'This is more madness from Ed Miliband that will despoiling our villages and streetscapes. He is obsessed with running roughshod over people.'
The consultation is part of a wider plan to expand the country's onshore wind capacity from 15 gigawatts (GW) to 29GW by 2030.
Labour dropped plans for a de facto ban on onshore wind within days of coming to power last year.
The UK currently has 9,200 onshore wind turbines but these are mostly old and small. Most are less than 300ft high with a low capacity of 1-2 megawatts (MW).
Under Mr Miliband's new strategy, turbines up to 850ft tall and with a capacity of up to 7MW will be built. The UK will need about 2,500 of such machines erected within the next five years, the Energy Secretary believes.
Sam Richards, the head of Britain Remade, a pro-growth campaign group, welcomed Mr Miliband's strategy.
He said: 'This is a huge step forward. Doubling onshore wind will cut bills, boost energy security, and create tens of thousands of good jobs in every part of the country. Ending the ban was the right call.'
Kevin Austin, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said that while shifting to clean energy was good for the environment, a building boom envisaged by Labour could endanger habitats.
He said: 'With the devastating impacts of climate change clearer than ever, delivering renewable energy to help meet our net zero commitments is absolutely critical.
'However, the RSPB remains concerned that at the same time, the Government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently going through Parliament risks weakening existing nature protections.
'Urgent amendments to the Bill are needed to ensure it enables development in a way that does not threaten our most precious habitats and wildlife.'
Lord Cameron was an early adopter of domestic wind power and had a £3,000 mini-turbine mounted on the roof of his home in Kensington, west London, in 2007. However, it had to be removed after complaints from neighbours.
The devices have yet to become popular with the public. Data from MCS, which sets standards for microgeneration, show that only 125 were installed in 2023.
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