Britse windenergieplannen worden teruggeschroefd

In Groot Brittanië lijkt het gezonde verstand het langzaam te gaan winnen van groen fanatisme, in het bijzonder wat betreft de megalomane, geldverkwistende windenergieplannen en de zogenoemde serre-belasting ('conservatory tax').

Onder de titel, 'Ministers preparing to veto windfarms', rapporteert Rowena Mason in de Britse 'Telegraph': 

Ministers are preparing to veto major new wind farms in the British countryside and cut back their subsidies, according to senior Whitehall sources.

The decision to pull back from onshore wind farms comes after more than 100 backbench Conservative MPs mounted a rebellion against turbines blighting rural areas.

Greg Barker, the Climate Change Minister, hinted at a change in policy this weekend when he said that the “the wind we need” in Britain is already being built, developed or in planning.

“It’s about being balanced and sensible,” he said. “We inherited a policy from the last government which was unbalanced in favour of onshore wind.

“There have been some installations in insensitive or unsuitable locations - too close to houses, or in an area of outstanding natural beauty.” ...

Senior Conservatives have seen an opportunity to re-think policy since Chris Huhne, the former Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary, resigned to fight charges of perverting the course of justice in a speeding case. “Chris Huhne’s zealous ambition is being reined back,” one top Whitehall source said. “There’s already enough being built and developed."

Lees verder hier.

Het is overigens bizar dat er een faux pas van Huhne voor nodig was om het Britse windmolenbeleid enigszins te corrigeren. 

Ook zal de voorgenomen wetgeving inzake woningisolatie bij verbouwing in de ijskast worden gezet.

Onder de titel, Conservatory tax to be axed for being 'an attack on aspiration', meldt Jason Groves, in de 'Mail Online' daarover het volgende:

Move would force homeowners hundreds of pounds on energy efficiency measures when they build an extension or fit a boiler.

Ministers are to scrap plans for a ‘conservatory tax’ following a massive Tory backlash.

A senior Government source told the Mail that the proposals are ‘dead in the water’.

This latest abrupt U-turn comes only a week after we revealed the move which would force homeowners to fork out hundreds of pounds extra on measures to improve energy efficiency when they build an extension or fit a boiler.
Although the Liberal Democrat-inspired plans are still out for consultation, the source said: ‘We are absolutely not going to have a conservatory tax. It is an attack on aspiration and we want nothing to do with it. It will be blocked.’ ...

The Mail’s revelation last week that ministers planned to force millions of homeowners to install costly energy efficiency measures when making home improvements infuriated Tory MPs.

Under the ‘mandatory’ scheme anyone wanting to build a conservatory, replace a broken boiler or install new windows would have to seek permission from the council. It could then require them to improve the energy efficiency of their homes by investing in measures such as loft and wall insulation and draught-proofing.

A source close to the new Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey defended the proposal, saying it would save homeowners money in the long term. ‘We are just asking people to make improvements to make their homes more energy efficient – it seems to me that actually helps the homeowner,’ said the source. ‘Of all the building regulations there are, this is one of the few where the entire financial benefit accrues to the homeowner. It will save them money on their fuel bills over the medium to long term.’

However, a raft of recent research has cast doubt on the level of savings claimed by the Government. Some pilot studies have found that the cost of energy efficiency measures is far higher than the savings on bills.

Lees verder hier.

Groot Brittannië heeft lange tijd een voortrekkersrol binnen de EU gespeeld wat betreft zogenaamde duurzaamheid. Thans komt het op zijn schreden terug en wint rationaliteit het langzamerhand van groene hysterie. Hopelijk heeft dit ook zijn weerslag op het beleid van andere EU-lidstaten. Maar inmiddels zijn er vele tientallen miljarden in een bodemloze put verdwenen en is het Britse landschap op vele plaatsen onherstelbaar verwoest.

En hoe zit het met Urk?

 

Voor mijn eerdere DDS-bijdragen, zie: