RORY BACKS PRIME MINISTER’S CALL THAT “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” ON WIND TURBINES FOR CUMBRIA

Rory Stewart MP held a meeting with the Prime-Minister through the House of Commons Liaison Committee last Tuesday, in which the Prime-Minister confirmed a promise to remove all subsidies to new onshore wind turbines after the general election. The Prime-Minister said that now that ten per cent of the UK’s energy needs were provided by wind turbines it was no long necessary to subsidise future turbines. The Penrith and The Border MP said, ‘This is a great result for Cumbria. Penrith and the Border has fought hard now for years to keep the consituency turbine-free. This is essential for our economy which is based on the beauty of our landscape. We are still fighting three further applications and will fight them tooth and nail. But it is a great relief to know that after May, there may be no further applications for wind-turbines in the constituency. This is a real result after years of campaigning.” The local MP’s comments come just days after he joined locals and representatives of a number of North Cumbrian anti-wind turbine groups at a public meeting in Armathwaite, to reinforce his support in fighting commercial wind turbine developments in the Eden Valley, and his on-going campaign to see minimum distance legislation adopted by all planning authorities in Cumbria.

Speaking in the Commons Liaison Committee, the Prime Minister said: “People are frankly fed up with so many wind farms being built that won’t be necessary…. Enough is enough and I am very clear about that.”

There are now enough taxpayer funded onshore wind farms in the pipeline for the UK to meet its’ renewable energy commitments. In addition to their commitment to end any additional bill payer subsidy for onshore wind, the Conservative Party have also committed to a pledge that would see large windfarm applications handled by local planning authorities rather than the nationally significant infrastructure regime.

Rory Stewart MP said: “I have campaigned alongside thousands of local people fighting turbine proposals on their doorstep since coming to office. Cumbrian communities understand the real value of their landscape, and I have represented their concerns repeatedly with this government, to see more planning powers and control invested at the local level when it comes to wind turbine development. The Conservative Party have now made pledges to do just that, and the proposals we are advocating have the power to halt the threat of turbines in Cumbria, and allow local communities to decide for themselves the future and nature of their own locality.”