Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions she has had with devolved Administrations on ensuring that warning lights on onshore wind turbines do not compromise gold tier dark sky parks including the Galloway and the Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The Civil Aviation Authority set the requirements for warning lights on wind turbines in excess of 150 metres tall, to ensure high safety standards. Planning policy is a devolved matter in Scotland and it will be for the relevant Scottish Local Authority to consider the impact of light pollution from wind turbines.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions her Department has had with the devolved Administrations on distribution density of onshore wind turbines and the effect of that distribution density on communities.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
I regularly have conversations with my counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on a wide range of issues, most recently on 24 October. The Government is rightly proud of its record on reducing emissions, and we continue to be ambitious in the deployment of renewables. Working with Devolved Administrations, the Offshore Wind Sector Deal aims to deliver 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, while boosting the UK economy, enhancing growth in the regions and continuing to reduce costs.
As planning policy is a devolved matter, it is for the Devolved Administrations to establish their planning policy and approach to deciding planning applications.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she is taking with devolved Administrations to address negative perceptions of the effects of onshore wind turbines in the (a) Carrick area of south Ayrshire and (b) Cumnock area of east Ayrshire.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
I regularly have conversations with my counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on a wide range of issues, most recently on 24 October. The Government is rightly proud of its record on reducing emissions, and we continue to be ambitious in the deployment of renewables. Working with Devolved Administrations, the Offshore Wind Sector Deal aims to deliver 30GW of offshore wind by 2030, while boosting the UK economy, enhancing growth in the regions and continuing to reduce costs.
As planning policy is a devolved matter, it is for the Devolved Administrations to establish their planning policy and approach to deciding planning applications.
Asked by: Bill Grant (Conservative - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effects of (a) low-frequency sound and (b) amplitude modulation from onshore wind turbines on public (i) health and (ii) quality of life.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
In 2016 the Department for Energy and Climate Change published a report which makes recommendations for how local planning authorities can assess amplitude modulation and use planning conditions to control it where necessary.