a Conservative Government would prevent wind turbines being built in areas where there was local opposition, Shadow Environment and Transport Secretary Tim Yeo said on Tuesday. Mr Yeo was in Okehampton to speak about wind farms and renewable energy policy following a controversial application to site three wind turbines on Yelland Farm, close to the boundary of Dartmoor National Park. He said the Conservatives would look beyond the Labour Government?s ?fixation? with wind power and would give local people more power to oppose unsuitably-sited applications. Mr Yeo said while he believed everyone agreed on the importance of renewable energy, and he took the science of climate change very seriously, he was not in favour of wind turbines where they had a detrimental impact on the countryside. He said he agreed in principle with the Government?s ?renewable obligation? target of raising the level of energy produced from renewable sources from the current level of 3%to 10% by 2010, but not with the way in which the Government hoped to achieve the ambitious target. He said: ?The Government approach is based on a fixation with on-shore wind turbines and that is what we have to change. ?The right way is to have a mix of sources ? with our island status we are much better placed to have a broader range of technologies, there are opportunities for off-shore wind power or wave power.? Mr Yeo also addressed the issue of farming and other possible areas of diversification for farmers. ?In a time of some uncertainty in farming, what better time to give more incentive for farmers to grow renewable energy crops?? he said. ?The quarrel we have with the Government is not with the whole idea of targets, it is the fact they want to do it with a single source, and from a top-down approach.? Mr Yeo said the Conservatives would withdraw the existing planning guidance PP22, and replace it with a fresh system of guidance which required the views of local communities to be given greater weight. ?We must make it possible for places like Devon and in particular this part of Devon to resist these applications,? he said. Mr Yeo said the election was ?really the last-chance saloon? in terms of ?protecting some of the most beautiful parts of Devon? from these sorts of developments. ?At present the system is twisted in favour of one particular technology. We are never going to see enough progress on tidal power, for example, unless we change the way the system works so it is not distorted towards one particular source.? Mr Yeo said more could be done to fit all new homes with solar panels and make them more energy-efficient in design. ?We want to change the incentives for both homes and businesses to invest in energy efficiency.? He added that he believed ?far too little attention? had so far been paid to the need for energy conservation measures. Mr Yeo arrived at the White Hart Hotel in Okehampton on Tuesday lunchtime to be greeted by local Tory candidate Geoffrey Cox. Mr Yeo said he was pleased to be in Okehampton to support Mr Cox, whom he described as an ?outstanding candidate? who had been keeping him ?very closely in touch with this crucial threat to the landscape?. Mr Yeo spoke to a small gathering of local people, including the opponents of the wind turbine scheme at Yelland Farm and another application in the Den Brook Valley near North Tawton. Mr Cox said: ?This issue is becoming a crucial one for thousands of people around Devon, particularly here with the great threat of our beautiful national park being ringed by turbines.? He said there was currently a ?gold rush? among developers to submit schemes while large subsidies were available for wind power, and the Conservative Party believed a more prudent and balanced renewable energy strategy would result in a diminution of the number of wind power schemes being put forward. David Walter, the Liberal Democrat candidate for West Devon and Torridge told a packed meeting in Okehampton last week that his party supported renewable energy, but only if it was appropriately sited. He said: ?Global warming is a reality, but the edge of Dartmoor National Park is a completely unsuitable place to put a wind farm. ?Local communities must have a say on how the targets for reducing CO2 should be met. We must also look at other forms of renewable energy, such as offshore wind turbines and solar power.? Rebecca Richards, the Labour candidate, said she was in favour of wind turbines in principle ? but each application needed to be considered on its own merits. ?It is imperative that CO2 emissions are reduced, and we should all play our part in this, as this issue isn?t going away,? she said. UK Independence Party candidate Matthew Jackson said: ?We are opposed to wind turbines on the basis they are incredibly inefficient, only operating when the wind blows at the right speed, requiring conventional power stations to be kept on standby.? Mr Jackson said wind turbines would do little to address Britain?s impending energy crisis and UKIP believed they had only ?incidental? benefits, besides having ?appalling? effects on the environment. Green Party candidate Peter Christie, who sits on Torridge District Council?s planning committee, said he had voted for some wind farm applications and against others. Each application had to be judged on its merits. He added: ?We do, of course, need to explore every avenue of energy provision along with ensuring that energy efficiency and conservation become central planks of our future energy plans. ?Love them or hate them, however, one thing has become very clear in this election ? people are now discussing how we produce energy in this country.?
