AM blasts 'ignorant' Assembly Ministers

 

A paper written by the Forestry Commission during the development of the government's TAN 8 policy highlighted the risk six years ago, AM Russell George, who is also the Conservative’s Shadow Environment Minister, said.

 

Late last month the First Minister claimed developer interest had "greatly exceeded" TAN 8 limits.

 

Mr George said: "This document seems to be at odds with the Welsh Labour Government's claims they couldn't possibly have foreseen the scale of wind farm developments in the seven identified Strategic Search Areas.

 

"It seems that concerns were being raised about the Welsh Labour Government's guidance on renewable energy, TAN 8, six years ago while it was still being developed.

 

"We need to hear from Carwyn Jones, the Minister who devised TAN 8, why he chose to ignore authoritative advice from the Forestry Commission.

 

"Ministers should come clean and accept that the scale of wind farm developments facing people in Mid Wales is a direct result of the policies they pursued in government. It is now apparent that from the start TAN 8 was not a robust document to provide for Wales' future energy needs.

 

"TAN 8 is a flawed strategy, which is now in urgent need of a thorough cross-party review."

 

However, two weeks ago AM’s voted comprehensively not to review Tan 8 but have called for the Welsh Government to investigate other renewable energy means.