The best-known aim of the Welsh Government’s Technical Advice Note 8 is to facilitate 800 MW (installed capacity) of onshore wind power in Wales through large developments in seven Strategic Search Areas, including Nant y Moch.

However, TAN 8 also directs local planning authorities “to encourage … smaller community based wind farm schemes (generally less than 5 MW)”. It allows them to consider landscape protection. But not if it causes any “severe restriction on the development of wind power capacity”. Though “there is a case for avoiding a situation where wind turbines are spread across the whole of a county”. Well, that’s clear enough, isn’t it? Eight years later, we have a flood of applications for developments of 1, 2 or 3 turbines; a chaotic free-for-all that has caused uncertainty and misery in thousands of Welsh homes, and headaches in LPAs.

Now the National Assembly is being petitioned to do something about the mess, by calling on WG to set clear guidelines for decisions on which small schemes get approval.
Click this link to read more about the petition.