Onshore wind opportunities for local authorities in 2025

After nearly a decade of restrictive policies, recent changes in law and government policy have opened the door for onshore wind developments.

This article explores the key opportunities now available to local authorities, that have arisen from new government strategies (in particular the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy) and planning reforms, and looks at how local authorities can capitalise on these changes to deliver on their net zero agendas.

Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy

On 4 July 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero unveiled its Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy.

The strategy lays out over 40 actions to remove barriers to onshore wind and nearly double capacity by 2030 and aims to boost deployment to around 27–29 GW by 2030 (which is roughly 10–12 GW more than what would happen under past trends).

Crucially, the strategy emphasises the delivery of economic benefits to local communities and businesses alongside clean power, as well as attempting to start to tackle certain barriers to onshore wind developments in the UK.

Reintroducing onshore wind into England’s planning framework

The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy follows one of the most transformative changes to onshore wind, which was the removal of the planning barriers that has impeded the development of onshore wind farms in England since 2015.

Previously, national planning policy required near-unanimous local approval for any onshore wind project, a burdensome test that few proposals could meet. In July 2024, the Government revised the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to put onshore wind on an equal footing with other energy infrastructure.

This ended the “de facto ban” and once again allows councils to determine wind farm applications through normal planning processes. Onshore wind proposals no longer face stringent veto rules; they are judged by the same planning merits and impacts as any other renewable energy development.

For local authorities’ net zero objectives, this revamp to the planning regime is significant. It means councils can proactively plan for wind energy in their areas and consider applications that were previously unviable.

The Government has noted that England’s project pipeline is now growing again after having shrunk by over 90% during the de facto ban. Only a handful of tiny projects (under 50 MW in total) were approved during 2015–2023.

To support this, the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy includes steps to streamline planning and consenting. The goal is to improve approval rates and shorten timelines, which historically could range from 4 to 9 years from proposal to operation, which should in turn attract greater investment in offshore wind.

Community Benefit Schemes

Onshore wind can deliver tangible benefits to the communities that host turbines, and the Government is bolstering support for these community benefit schemes. Traditionally, wind farm developers in the UK have voluntarily provided community benefit funds to local community trusts – often benchmarked at about £5,000 per MW of capacity per year.

The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy seeks to formalise and enhance this practice. In order to do this, the Government has updated the 2014 Community Benefits Protocol and will adopt it as official guidance for England. This updated guidance (published on 4 July 2025) reaffirms the £5,000/MW per year expectation for community payments, while showcasing best practices like local electricity bill discounts and shared ownership opportunities.

In practical terms, this means that a typical onshore wind project should bring a significant financial boost to its local area. According to the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, if the UK meets its onshore wind deployment targets, about £70 million per year in such private investment would flow into rural towns and villages nationwide by 2030.

For local authorities, this sets clear expectations when negotiating planning consents or partnership agreements: robust community benefit packages should be part of any project. Councils might help administer community funds or facilitate programs like local energy discounts to ensure residents see direct benefits (e.g. reduced electricity bills for those near a wind farm).

Community Energy Schemes

In addition to supporting commercial wind farms that provide community benefit payments, local authorities now have a strategic opportunity to lead or enable community energy schemes centred on onshore wind.

These are projects where the wind turbines are wholly or partly owned by local people, often through cooperatives, community interest companies, or partnerships with councils. With planning barriers removed and support available from initiatives like Great British Energy (GBE), councils can use public land, local investment, and planning levers to help establish community-owned or joint-venture wind projects that deliver long-term income and energy resilience for local areas.

In parallel, Elexon’s proposed P441 modification to the Balancing and Settlement Code may create further opportunities to capitalise on local energy schemes. In simple terms, the P441 modification aims to introduce a new mechanism to allocate the value of renewable generation more locally, helping communities access cheaper electricity or more visible benefits linked to nearby wind farms. If approved, it could support councils and developers in offering dynamic community tariffs or integrating local energy supply with benefit schemes.

Great British Energy

The UK Government is not only changing policies – it’s also entering the clean energy arena directly through the creation of GBE, a new publicly-owned energy company. Great British Energy is envisioned as an investor, developer, and partner for domestic renewable projects, including onshore wind.

According to the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, GBE will support community and locally owned renewable projects across the UK by providing funding, technical expertise, and project-planning assistance, in coordination with local government and community energy groups.

Through a forthcoming Local Power Plan, GBE is expected to help councils and combined authorities build a pipeline of viable projects by offering seed capital or co-investment and sharing specialist skills (commercial, legal, engineering) that smaller project sponsors may lack. In essence, GBE can act as a strategic partner for councils that want to develop onshore wind but need extra financial muscle or know-how.

Next steps for local authorities

With policy and regulatory barriers now significantly lowered, local authorities are well positioned to take a more active role in delivering onshore wind as part of their wider net zero and economic development agendas.

To capitalise on the new opportunities, councils may wish to consider the following actions:

• Development potential: Councils can identify suitable public land or brownfield sites for wind development, either independently or in partnership with developers.
• Update local plans and policies: Planning authorities may review and revise local plans to include supportive policies for onshore wind and associated infrastructure.
• Build delivery partnerships: Authorities can explore collaboration with GBE, community energy organisations, or commercial developers to co-develop projects. GBE in particular may offer co-investment, technical advice, and access to legal and commercial expertise.
• Community benefit models: Councils can help shape or administer benefit schemes that provide local value – such as bill discounts, shared ownership, or funding for community priorities. The updated Community Benefits Protocol offers a national framework to build upon.