The Daily Mail reports ministers are discussing relaxation of planning rules for onshore wind farms, despite warnings it will spark a rural backlash.

Applications to install onshore wind farms in England have slumped by 96 per cent since the rules were tightened in 2015 in response to opposition from Tory MPs and countryside campaigners. Next week's new energy security strategy will include a review of strict planning rules which make it almost impossible to get approval for onshore sites.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP has ordered ministers to double the rate at which new wind power is installed in the UK as part of a push for renewable energy in response to the Ukraine crisis. A Whitehall source said the scale of the ambition is too great to be met by offshore wind alone, however it is suggested to be 'the cheapest renewable energy available and also the quickest to install.’

Nonetheless, experts have issued that 'if we are going to diversify away from Russian oil and gas and produce more green power in the UK quickly then we have to look at every option, and that includes ending the effective moratorium on onshore wind.'

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Daily Mail - Wind farms may be coming back to a hill near you: Rural landowners fear push for green energy in response to the Ukraine crisis will see planning rules eased