The UK’s new government has decided to abandon the “de-facto” ban on onshore wind development in England put in place by a previous government in 2015; the construction of new onshore wind park had been blocked by two footnotes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requiring onshore wind parks to secure "proved community support" to go ahead (this provision did not apply to other infrastructure projects). Thus, the UK Chancellor has announced the immediate removal of those restrictions.
The move will place onshore wind on the same footing as other energy developments in the National Planning Policy Framework, according to the energy department DESNZ. As such, the new UK Government has said it is committed to doubling onshore wind capacity by 2030.
As of end-2022, installed onshore wind capacity in the UK reached nearly 14.7 GW. Due to the “de-facto” ban, the capacity grew at a relatively slow pace in previous years.