Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides guidance to local planning authorities on (a) assessing the potential noise impact of proposed wind turbines and (b) the consideration of potential noise impact in planning applications for (i) individual wind turbines and (ii) wind farms.

Noise from onshore wind turbines is limited and in most instances well sited onshore wind turbines will not be built in close proximity to dwellings and will therefore have minimal noise impacts. Nevertheless, we recognise that there can be exceptions to the rule, and that noise can be a concern for communities when this is the case. That is why we work closely with acoustic experts and leading scientists to ensure that planning authorities from across the UK have access to the best guidance, so that they can measure and take account of noise emissions when making decisions on onshore wind infrastructure.