Natascha Engel MP: Planning to go green

Labour MP Natascha Engel sets out the issues being raised in her Westminster Hall debate on renewable energy sources.


We are getting our collective knickers into an impossible twist.

On the one hand, the country is calling for higher targets on renewables, more technology to turn waste to energy, and demanding that we send less stuff to landfill and get composting on an industrial scale.

On the other hand, every time any scheme puts in a planning application for a wind farm, a gasification plant, incinerator or a composting project, large local campaign groups unfurl their banners and march on the town hall.

Whether you call it Nimbyism, concern for the physical and mental well-being of your family, or a worry about your house price, these campaigns are more often than not successful at stopping the planning applications.

The result is that we are not meeting our targets. And everyone – or almost everyone – understands the significance of not reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and not curbing our CO2 emissions.

The problem comes from the fact that we set targets for renewables and recycling nationally, but they are implemented locally.

Someone has to live with the consequences of 'ambitious' targets. Someone has to have an incinerator or composter in their backyard. Someone will have to have their views spoilt by gigantic wind turbines.

In Parliament we pat ourselves on the back because of the challenging targets we are setting. We are investing £100m in weaning ourselves off dirty old fuels.

But it is local authorities that have to take the difficult political decisions whether or not to grant a controversial planning application.

In North East Derbyshire, there are two very different examples of this. One is a gasification plant which wants to take waste (75,000 tonnes) and turn 15,000 tonnes of it into electricity. That, apparently, will provide energy to heat 16,000 homes in Chesterfield.

The rest – including hazardous waste materials – will be incinerated.

This plant is proposed right on the edge of Chesterfield, a very densely populated area with several schools close by. Unsurprisingly, the residents are not willing to take the risk.

By contrast, in a sparsely populated bit on the edge of the Peak District National Park, a planning application has gone in for five wind turbines. People have moved to this part of the world for its beauty, peace and tranquillity. Others travel from all parts of the country for the same reason.

Our national parks are Britain's backyard.

I like wind farms, but that's beside the point. Many people hate the sight of them. I think sending less waste to landfill is imperative, but I understand people who don't want to live right next to industrial composting and incineration.

We need a more intelligent answer.

We are in the process of setting up a national body to look at important infrastructure projects such as nuclear power stations. This body could take responsibility for designating pieces of land in each region where applications for renewable energy and recycling are encouraged.

They should also look nationally at buffer zones. These designated areas must take into account the proximity of villages, towns and cities, as well as areas of outstanding natural beauty.

If we set targets nationally, we should also designate the land nationally. We should come to an agreement with (or pay compensation to) those people who are going to live with the consequences in their backyard.

If we don't, we will just carry on wasting time, energy and resources and fail to meet any of our targets.