RSPB signals support for accelerated wind farm roll-out

In a move that will be interpreted in some quarters as sign of a truce between conservationists and the wind energy industry, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has issued a new report calling on the government to overhaul the planning system to accelerate the development of onshore wind farms while still protecting birdlife.

The RSPB has faced criticism from wind groups in the past for opposing a number of high profile projects, including plans for a 181 turbine development on the island of Lewis in Scotland, amidst fears that turbines can kill and injure birds.

However, in a report that a spokesman for the wildlife group said will " clarify" its long-held position, the RSPB insisted it fully supports the accelerated roll out of onshore wind farms, as long as they avoid areas where they will damage sensitive habitats.

"The need for renewable energy could not be more urgent," said Ruth Davis head of Climate Change Policy at the RSPB. "Left unchecked, climate change threatens many species with extinction."

The report, undertaken by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, found that the UK lags far behind many of its European counterparts in terms of wind energy capacity, coming 13th in a league table of wind power per head of population.

Based on the experience of successful planning systems in Denmark, Spain and Germany, it recommends that the government should seek to streamline the planning process by drawing up formal bird sensitivity maps that make it clear where new turbines should be given priority and where they are most likely to conflict with wildlife.

A spokesman for the RSPB said such a map would make it easier for developers to select locations where their planning applications are likely to be approved. "A formal wind farm sensitivity map would help prevent developers selecting a site with the best intentions, only to find out later that it is a daft place for a wind farm," he said.

The report also recommends that a formal process be developed to ensure developers engage with local communities, perhaps even making them financial partners in the project, prior to plans being drawn up. It argues that such an approach has led to far lower levels of local opposition in countries such as Germany and Denmark.

The proposals were broadly welcomed by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), which said that it formed part of a growing realisation amongst conservation groups that unmitigated climate change poses a far greater threat to biodiversity than renewable energy projects.

However, a spokesman for the trade group warned that while proposals for clearly defined wind development and wildlife zones appeared sensible in theory, they could kick off years of legal wrangling as various interest groups try to ensure areas that they do not want developed are included in the protection zones. "We could also end up with people saying a turbine is too close to a zone and that all the zones should be graded in some way," he added.

The report comes as energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said that the government should be more robust in facing down opponents to wind farms.

According to The Guardian reports, Miliband told an audience at a London screening of the climate change documentary The Age of Stupid that the government should be arguing that "it is socially unacceptable to be against wind turbines in your area – like not wearing your seatbelt or driving past a zebra crossing".