Statement responding to reports that the Government will look at speeding up major infrastructure projects
Commenting on news that the Government will look at speeding up the time it takes for major infrastructure projects to get planning permission, including offshore wind farms, Sam Richards founder and Campaign Director for pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:
“The Government should absolutely look at speeding up how long it takes for major infrastructure projects to get the green light, it’s ridiculous that it can take up to 13 years for a new offshore wind farm to start generating power when construction only take two to three years. But it shouldn’t take an unnecessary and lengthy review for ministers to update planning statements to get Britain building again.
“The fact that even this small step in the right direction will exclude onshore wind, once again stopping people from benefitting from the cheapest source of energy, is alarming during a cost of living crisis. People across Britain overwhelmingly back onshore wind in their communities and it is time Government recognised this. Government needs to drop the bad on new onshore wind in order to cut bills, boost growth and create thousands of jobs.”