UK shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband has pledged to make overturning a de facto ban on onshore wind development in England one of his first acts in government if the Labour Party wins a general election this year.
He told delegates at the International Energy Week conference the move could be done “at the stroke of a pen”, according to a Guardian report.
Miliband said: “With a Labour government, you will know as businesses and investors that capricious decision-making will not rule out your technology.
“The current government could overturn this ban very easily. But there is a culture of inertia and stasis.
“Difficult decisions are ducked. Consultations are used to avoid decision-making.
“This institutional inertia is just not good enough – it blocks business investment and drives up bills for the British people.”
Onshore wind deployment in England has been stifled since the introduction of strict planning rules on the technology in 2015.
The UK government modified the policy late last year amid pressure to unlock the sector, although many within the industry have said the measures do not go far enough to make onshore wind a viable investment proposition in England.