Letter to the Editor: DNS

Dear Editor

Are Welsh Ministers being misled?

For readers who may not be aware but a Development of National Significance (DNS) is a planning application for a large infrastructure project of national importance; for example, a wind farm, power station or reservoir. DNS applications are examined by a planning inspector, who makes a recommendation to the Welsh Minister.

   The above title sounds quite grand and impressive until we start probing and digging a bit. Consider the following dear reader: At Stage 3 of a proposal an Inspector is appointed to ‘examine’ the application and determines the procedure. The Examination will be written representations, hearing or inquiry, or a combination of all three. Then the appointed Inspector must consider all representations and any matters raised and writes a report to the Welsh Minister recommending whether planning permission should be granted or refused. Then at Stage 4, the application is determined by Welsh Ministers and a decision issued.

   Therefore, when assessing the merits of wind or solar farms as a means of generating electricity, will the Inspector simply accept the wind industries total capacity figure for these sources of generation. If so, then this would be a terrible miscarriage of justice as the actual averages for wind and solar farms generation over a period of any one year is 25% or less, for wind, and just 10%, for solar – and obviously it is zero at night.

   This simply translates to far less generation and consequently a lower number of users than is implied by quoting total capacity figures, and would be tantamount to pulling the wool over the eyes of Welsh Ministers. Therefore I wonder if an appropriate member of the Senedd can confirm on this excellent letters page, which figures are actually considered in the planning application. If the total capacity figure is used then this amounts to sleight of hand that should be challenged and corrected at the earliest possible moment.

Dave Haskell