Politics

Energy policy and the environment

Published

9 years ago

May 19, 2017

LAST WEEK The Herald looked at the energy market and the ways in which different parties have approached the question of rising domestic energy bills.

That article discussed the ways in which taking advantage of existing energy efficiency schemes and the use of the most competitive tariffs would reduce bills far more than a simple price cut on the most commonly used domestic tariff.

Labour has claimed it will create over 300,000 renewable energy jobs throughout the country and put modern low-carbon industries at the heart of a £500 billion investment strategy, championing ‘a new green industrial revolution’.

One of the big ideas underpinning that commitment is to promote the growth of local energy companies and support the development of 1,000 community energy co-operatives. That’s accompanied by a commitment to 65% renewable electricity by 2030, aiming for 85% as technology improves and diffuses.

All of which will sound very familiar to Plaid Cymru, whose Shadow Environment spokesperson, Simon Thomas AM, has called for the creation of Ynni Cymru to promote Wales’ own self-sufficiency in domestic energy. It sounds like Plaid’s clothes have been lifted by Jeremy Corbyn’s promises to invest in similar schemes and raise investment across the UK.

Labour has set out a radical commitment to set up publicly-owned energy supply companies in every region focused purely on cutting prices. Under the same proposals, Government would take ‘control of the natural monopolies of the transmission and distribution grids’ currently run by the National Grid.

The Labour leader has made big promises, and the cynical might think that Labour may as well shoot for The Moon, given the remote chances it has of forming an administration under Jeremy Corbyn as PM.

“We’ve got a real opportunity to drive the green economy – to have green jobs, green growth, and make sure that we have our share of the industries of the future. Clearly there’s the climate change agenda, where we’ve got to get back on track, both nationally and internationally. And third, there is the issue of energy security, which I think is vitally important, which we need to do a huge amount of work on.”

Those were big promises, too. They were made seven years ago by David Cameron at the outset of his first term as PM, when he pledged to lead the greenest government ever. By 2013, David Cameron was keen to ‘get rid of all the green crap’, as the hopes of 2010 smashed into the economic and political realities of Treasury austerity.

The rug was pulled from under the renewables industry: following through on the pledge to virtually ban onshore wind, and slashing the feed in tariff. Overall UK carbon emissions had been falling but the growth in renewables deployment stalled, and solar companies employing thousands of people around the country went bust.

Five years later, at the outset of his second term, David Cameron pulled the Green Deal for UK homes.

On every single one of those policy decisions, commitments, and staggering reversals Theresa May went along, bobbing along like a cork on the tide of Cabinet collective responsibility. The number of times she has spoken out on energy policy in public can be counted on the fingers of one thumb. However, she merged the Department of Energy and Climate Change into a new Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016.

While that suggests a rather less overtly ‘green’ approach to the PR side of politics than her predecessor, it is noteworthy that Theresa May has expressed consistent and strong positions on the issue of energy security. Her first noteworthy public policy decision was to initiate a pause on the development of Hinkley B, ostensibly due to concerns of increasing UK reliance on Chinese investment in its energy infrastructure.

In addition, in a complex and volatile international energy market, there are clear attractions for the PM in adopting measure which enhance energy security and the reduction on the reliance of overseas energy. Her concerns on energy supply were echoed in the 2015 Conservative manifesto, which said: ‘Without secure energy supplies, our country becomes less safe and less prosperous’.

And, in 2008, Mrs May said: “I am thrilled to see that after years of Conservative pressure, we have finally passed a necessary and ambitious piece of legislation on Climate Change. Britain is the first country in the world to formally bind itself to cut greenhouse emissions and I strongly believe this will improve our national and economic security.

“To stay reliant on fossil fuels would mean tying ourselves to increasingly unstable supplies which could endanger our energy security and the Climate Change and Energy Bills mark an important step for both the health of our economy and the health of our nation. It is now vital that we stick to these targets.”

The logic of Mrs May’s evident and consistently expressed concerns on security of energy supply is to make the UK more self-sufficient. There are two sides to that issues: firstly, the extension of green energy generation; secondly, the extension of fracking and nuclear power.

The second limb of that proposition is the most contentious. Fracking is a public relations disaster waiting to happen and the first time it is scheduled to take place in a Conservative-held marginal seat is when we will see just how committed the Conservative party is to its use. As for nuclear power, it requires considerable public support and subsidy to make it even marginally viable for the long term.

The only large energy project requiring anything like the level of price support as nuclear power is the Swansea Tidal Lagoon, which for all its carbon-saving claims involves quarrying stone in Cornwall, building new jetties extending into the Bristol Channel and transporting the stone over by barge to Swansea by the thousands of tonnes to build a tidal barrage affecting marine life and habitats across the whole of Swansea Bay.

For someone as sensitive to polls as Theresa May it is worth noting that the BEIS tracker surveys on consumer views shows significantly higher support for renewable energy (at around 75-80%) than for other options. Opposition to renewables was very low at 4%, with only 1% strongly opposed.

However, and this is where energy policies and political judgement come into play, support for renewables was lower amongst those in social grade DE (72%), aged 65+ (73%), and social renters (75%).

The first two of those groups are key electoral demographics whose support Theresa May is actively courting. The triangulation of Conservative policy on energy, which now appears to have abandoned the notion that competition delivers the best results for energy users, might not swing a lot of votes, but the Conservative leader will not be shy of using every gimmick in her arsenal to court wavering voters looking for a way to justify voting Conservative.

Business

Haverfordwest Kings Arms pub basement flat scheme refused

Published

6 hours ago

February 14, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A SCHEME to convert the basement of a Grade-II-listed former pub in a Pembrokeshire town’s conservation area to a flat has been refused by planners who said it would create an “oppressive living environment”.

In the application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Toyeb Ali Rahman, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, sought permission to convert the basement of the former Kings Arms Hotel, Dew Street, Haverfordwest, the building most recently used as an Indian takeaway, to a residential flat.

A supporting statement said: “The Kings Arms Public House was a public house and was formerly a coaching house with a range of former stables to the rear which have been converted to dwellings. It is a mid-terrace property fronting the western side of Dew Street close to the town centre of Haverfordwest,” adding: “Since closure the public house has been used as a takeaway restaurant and is a mixture of flats and offices.”

It went on to say: “The application proposal only involves a small-scale conversion of a basement storage area associated with the former Kings Arms Hotel to a one bedroom residential flat. There would be no extensions with the only external alteration to the building being the replacement of a poorly detailed metal roller shutter door with conventional domestic entrance door with sidelight.

“As such, there would be no change to the impact of the building or proposal on the locality. In fact, basement area is not at all visible from the street scene along Dew Street.”

However, the scheme was refused by county planners on three points.

“The proposed change of use would result in a self-contained residential unit that fails to provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for future occupiers. The habitable accommodation would be served by no external windows, resulting in inadequate levels of natural daylight and outlook and creating a poor-quality and oppressive living environment.

“Furthermore, insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that adequate ventilation, air quality, and moisture control could be achieved without harm to the character and appearance of the listed building.”

Planners also said the proposals would, through its design and use of materials, “fail to respect the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building”.

The final reason for refusal was the scheme would “result in an increase in nitrogen discharges draining into the Milford Haven Inner waterbody of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) where features are known to be in unfavourable condition due to current evidence of both chemical and biological failure,” with insufficient information to demonstrate mitigation measures which would allow the proposed development to achieve nutrient neutrality.

News

New Welsh Government plastic bans held up by internal market talks

Published

18 hours ago

February 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Cardiff under pressure from industry and environmental groups as new restrictions loom

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has confirmed that further bans on single-use plastic products will not be enacted before the end of the current Senedd term — but reiterated its commitment to phasing out what it calls “unnecessary” plastics to protect the environment.

In a written statement on Wednesday (Feb 11), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies said planned “Phase 2” restrictions under the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 will be delayed as officials work with UK governments to secure an exemption from the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA).

Phase 1 of the act, which came into force in October 2023, already bans a range of commonly littered items such as plastic cutlery, drinks stirrers, polystyrene cups and takeaway containers.

Under Phase 2, ministers had intended to restrict polystyrene lids, single-use plastic carrier bags and products made of oxo-degradable plastic by spring 2026 — but Mr Irranca-Davies said that timetable is no longer feasible this term due to the ongoing negotiations over internal market arrangements.

“We are committed to seeing polystyrene lids … plastic single-use carrier bags or products made of oxo-degradable plastic banned and are working to achieve that as soon as possible,” he said in the statement.

Environmental groups and campaigners have welcomed the Government’s overall ambition but stressed the urgency of moving from pledges to action.

A spokesperson for Keep Wales Tidy said the original legislation was a crucial step in tackling plastic waste, noting that plastics remain one of the most common forms of litter found on beaches and in waterways. “This move shows intent, but communities are looking for swift implementation,” the group added in a recent comment on social media about Wales’s ongoing efforts to reduce single-use plastics.

Wales was one of the first parts of the UK to target carrier bags, introducing a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags in 2011, which saw usage drop dramatically — by over 90 per cent according to government data.

Critics from parts of the business community, including hospitality and retail sectors, have previously expressed concerns over the practical impacts of rapidly changing plastic regulations, particularly where alternatives are not readily available or where internal market uncertainties create compliance challenges for firms operating across the UK.

Mr Irranca-Davies said the Welsh Government remains committed to the wider goals of its Beyond Recycling circular economy strategy — including a **zero-waste **ambition by 2050 — and to ending what he described as a “throw-away culture” that harms the environment and future generations.

He also highlighted progress already made: Wales now ranks among the world’s highest for household recycling rates, a significant rise from less than five per cent at the point of devolution.

The Government says wet wipes containing plastic will be restricted from 18 December 2026 and that it will continue working with UK partners to resolve internal market issues and push remaining bans forward.

Business

Redevelopment plans at Clunderwen dairy farm approved

Published

1 day ago

February 13, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for new livestock buildings at a Pembrokeshire dairy farm, aimed at “improved animal husbandry” will not lead to an increase in herd size, councillors heard.

In an application recommended for approval at the February meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Mr Roblin of Clynderwen Farm, Clunderwen, sought permission for two livestock building at the 210-hectare dairy farm of 280 cows and 235 head of young stock.

A report for members said each livestock accommodation building would have a length of 77 m, a width of 33m, an eaves height of 3.6m and a ridge height of 8.9m.

Both buildings would be parallel to each other and would cover a footprint of 5,082sqm (2,541sqm each). The proposal includes a total of 308 cubicles, loafing and feed areas, with a central feed passage in the middle.

It said the buildings at the site, some 200 metres from the nearby Redhill school and just over a kilometre from Clunderwen, would sit a little lower than those already on site, and the proposals would not lead to any increase in herd size.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Gethin Beynon said the scheme would lead to “improved animal husbandry to serve the existing milking herd and to support the next farming generation”.

He told members the application was accompanied by environmental enhancements and screening, with no objections from members of the public or any statutory bodies.

Mr Beynon went on to say the herd was currently housed in historic farm site buildings that “fall short of current standards,” with a farm move towards Holstein cattle which need more space.

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“It will improve animal husbandry and efficiencies in what is currently a challenging market,” he concluded.

Approval was moved by Cllr Alan Dennison, seconded by Cllr Brian Hall, and unanimously backed by committee members.