Labour plans to chop down forests for solar farms
Politicians and conservation charities alarmed at changes to Bill opening up England’s forests to massive renewable energy projects
Woodlands face being cleared to make way for solar farms and wind turbines under Labour’s latest plans to hit net zero targets.
Ministers are spearheading a legal change that would open up England’s forests to host massive new renewable energy projects.
The proposals have sparked alarm among conservation charities, peers and MPs, who fear they will lead to the loss of precious natural spaces.
The proposals are buried in the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is in its final stages in the Lords and is expected to become law soon.
The legislation will grant the Forestry Commission, the quango that manages England’s woodlands, the power to use its lands for green energy.
That will include the construction of solar farms and wind turbines as well as battery storage plants and electricity transmission lines such as pylons.
Similar powers in Scotland, introduced in 2000, have led to more than 17 million trees being felled to make way for wind farms alone.
Critics fear a similar situation in England where, under the new legislation, ministers will be required to give their approval only for the largest projects, delivering more than 50 megawatts of power, except for wind, which has a lower threshold of 5mw.
A 50 megawatt solar farm covers about 350 acres of land and there are only three sites with a greater capacity than that in the whole of the UK.
The Woodland Trust, a charity which manages 82,000 acres across the UK, is among those to have expressed concerns about the plans.
James Cooper, its head of external affairs, said: “We understand the need for development and support the Government’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis, but we must also ensure that irreplaceable habitats like ancient woodland are protected from destruction.
“The nature and climate crises are inextricably linked and one cannot be tackled at the expense of the other.
“The national forest needs to be maintained as a forest, with its diverse range of wildlife habitats, focused on public benefit.
“With common-sense safeguards in place, development on the national forest estate could deliver funds needed to tackle nature restoration.
“At present, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill remains worryingly unclear about the protection of irreplaceable habitats and we want to see that remedied during the Bill’s final stages.”
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Featured image: The Telegraph
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