The IES has responded to the Government's consultation on guidance for the assessment and rating of wind turbine noise.
What does the response say?
Christopher Fry, Chair of the Environmental Policy Implementation Community's Sound, Noise & Vibration Forum, summarised the key message from the response:
"Until a fresh, systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence is considered, we strongly believe that the precautionary principle should always be applied."
This consultation follows a joint letter from the IES and the CIEH, calling on the Government to take an evidence-informed approach to updating the guidance. Now that new guidance has been issued, the key question will be whether the approach taken in the guidance is sufficiently evidence-based.
Key messages
The IES supports the move towards more sustainable energy for the UK, yet it is important to make communities part of that journey by applying appropriate noise guidance to prevent unintended consequences. In that context, it is concerning to see that the draft guidance states that noise levels may be “considered reasonable in the context of the need for renewable energy generation” rather than basing the reasonableness of noise levels on evidence of their effects.
The scale of the Government’s ambition is clear, in line with the commitment in the Clean Power Action Plan to decarbonise the power sector by 2030 and provide 27 to 29GW of onshore wind within Great Britain, from the current installed capacity of around 14.8GW today (over 16GW in the UK). To secure this ambition over the long-term, bringing communities along on that process will be essential to achieving a future with thriving people, a healthy economy, and a flourishing environment.
What next?
- Read the full response to the consultation
- Find out more about the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC), including its work on sound, noise, and vibration
- If you support the IES's ambition for a country with thriving people, a healthy economy, and a flourishing environment, consider joining the IES or becoming an affiliate
- For more information about the policy work of the IES, contact Joseph Lewis, Head of Policy (joseph@the-ies.org)
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