Winds of change: UK government moves to accelerate onshore wind energy

The UK's Onshore Wind Taskforce, a year after it was established to bring together government, industry and trade unions, has set out a comprehensive plan to accelerate the deployment of onshore wind energy across Great Britain. The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy aims to overcome barriers to deployment, ensure sustainability and capture socio-economic benefits by delivering up to 29 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind capacity by 2030.

The strategy outlines 42 actions to overcome barriers to the deployment of onshore wind in the UK. The strategy straddles six policy themes: site selection, preparation and consenting; networks and system planning; communities and public perception; aviation and defence; finance and routes to market; and supply chain, skills and workforce. It is ambitious and seeks to implement the actions across the policy areas to create a clean, affordable and secure energy system, generate skilled jobs and foster economic growth  while addressing environmental and community concerns.

Onshore wind strategy actions

One of the urgent actions is the modernisation of environmental assessments – "action 1" in the strategy. On the basis that existing assessments have proven complicated, inaccessible and ineffective, the government has pledged to replace strategic environmental assessments and environmental impact assessments with environmental outcomes reports (EORs). The shift to EORs, which aims to reduce costs and delays, will be supported by a roadmap and consultation with devolved governments and industry representatives.

Action 1 also establishes a Nature Restoration Fund, which is similar to that proposed under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The Nature Restoration Fund will pool contributions from developers to fund strategic environmental improvements, reducing the need for individual site-level assessments.

Action 4 outlines the express reintroduction of onshore wind into the nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) regime. The government plans for the reintroduction to include an updated threshold of 100 megawatts (MW). The change is effective from 31 December this year and will provide a route for large-scale projects to seek planning consent, balancing local impacts against national benefits and decarbonisation goals. Projects below the 100MW threshold can still use local planning processes, while benefitting from the powers under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 to request that the project is instead determined under the NSIP regime.To ensure flexibility, there will be a new equivalent power to allow the secretary of state to disapply requirements for a "nationally significant" project to seek consent under the NSIP regime – in effect, a "reverse" section 35.

Permitted development rights do not currently apply to turbines on commercial premises and have strict height, swept area and distance restrictions. The government has recognised that these rules were introduced in 2011 and have not been subsequently updated. As a result, the government has announced it will launch a consultation on whether the existing permitted development rights are fit for purpose and explore other forms of small-scale onshore wind projects (action 5). The need to update planning principles for the inclusion of onshore wind projects is mirrored by its commitment to also update planning policy and guidance, including national policy statements and planning practice guidance (action 7) and ensure that best practice guidance on pre-consultation is being followed (action 15).

Other government commitments

The government has also recognised the risk of losing the current fleet of onshore wind, including significant loss of existing cheap electricity generation and increased build costs. Consequently, it has committed to supporting repowering and lifetime extension of onshore wind projects to reduce potential pressures on the environment and local areas. Through detailed information being included in updated planning practice guidance on policy interpretation, the government aims to maximise the benefits of existing fleets by replacement with newer, more efficient models to increase capacity without increasing land use.

The government has announced that it will consider mandating community benefits (action 16) for energy infrastructure projects in Great Britain. There has been express recognition that the onshore wind industry already voluntarily offers generous community benefits packages but this is inconsistent across energy sectors and locations.

Community benefits, such as discounts on electricity bills, a benefit fund and shared ownership in the development, are proposed to be mandatory obligations. Coupled with a commitment to update the 2014 Community Benefits Protocol and adopt guidance for England (action 17), these benefits will help to improve local support for renewable projects. There are direct benefits from hosting projects. A working paper on this topic was published in May 2025.

The government has also committed to co-ordinating a developer-funded programme of trials to test solutions to onshore wind interference with Ministry of Defence (MOD) radars (action 24). An MOD-led military aerodrome air traffic control (ATC) joint task force will be established, which will be funded by the wind industry, to assess potential technical mitigation solutions for onshore wind farms impacting MOD ATC primary surveillance radars. This collaborative approach aims to overcome the significant challenge posed by the lack of mitigation solutions.

Osborne Clarke comment

The government's onshore wind strategy is nothing short of ambitious; however, its successful implementation will hinge upon addressing a number of significant challenges.

A sweep of updates to planning policy and existing planning laws (for example,  permitted development and a change to EORs) will be essential to ensure that the commitment to 29GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030 is achieved. Given the substantial technological updates and fast-changing planning framework, the government will not only have to update existing frameworks but also have to determine how these policies can evolve in this landscape.

Community benefits are acknowledged within the strategy, yet they remain a non-material issue in decision-making processes. The lack of transparency in how these benefits are perceived by communities will not eliminate strong objections to wind projects. Community benefits should play a crucial role in determining the acceptability of a project. Clearer guidelines and more open communication about these benefits could help mitigate opposition and foster greater community support.

The emphasis on repowering existing wind sites is promising and will contribute to the additional 15GW of onshore wind capacity needed. Nevertheless, many of these sites have constrained grid connections, which poses a significant logistical challenge. The strategy's recognition of the need for further progress of radical connections reform will be crucial to facilitate the deployment of onshore wind. The installation of larger turbines, such as 7MW units, will not lead to increased generation unless grid connection reform takes place simultaneously.

The strategy's focus on resolving radar issues is a positive step forward. However, this poses a "catch 22" situation. Projects will struggle to achieve final investment decision unless the radar solution is deliverable and not hindered by any pre-commencement conditions.

Mia Clothier, a trainee solicitor with Osborne Clarke, contributed to this Insight.

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