All 1 Debates between Tony Cunningham and Charles Hendry

Onshore Wind Energy

Debate between Tony Cunningham and Charles Hendry
Thursday 10th February 2011

(13 years, 8 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Tony Cunningham Portrait Tony Cunningham
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I can only agree with the hon. Gentleman. These things sadden me. I do not want to get into the issues raised by the Localism Bill, but we are, rightly, concerned about generating enough electricity and dealing with climate change, and the community is saying, “We’ll help you. We’ll agree to a barrage. We’ll agree to offshore wind. We’ll agree to nuclear. But in return, can you please prevent any more onshore wind farms from being built?”

Charles Hendry Portrait The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Charles Hendry)
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Does the hon. Gentleman agree that one reason why these cases have often gone through on appeal is the regional spatial strategies and the regional renewable energy targets? Does he agree that it is absolutely right to remove those because inspectors have often used them to override a strong body of public opinion?

Tony Cunningham Portrait Tony Cunningham
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Anything that helps to support people locally—anything that gives greater power to local people—must be welcomed, although if we imagine a different scenario, in which local people say that they do not want a nuclear power station, we would not say that, therefore, we were not going to have any more nuclear power stations. We cannot do that; there must be a balance. The point I am trying to make, however, is that the balance has gone too far.