Conservative member of parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset, Christopher Chope, introduced the private members’ bill (PMB), which received its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday.
Chope’s constituency is near the proposed 1.1GW Navitus Bay offshore wind farm, which would be located 13 kilometres off the Dorset and Hampshire coasts.
His proposals include banning the erection of wind turbines within 24 kilometres of England and Wales’ coastline, restricting the height of a wind turbines to 100 metres within 32 kilometres of the two countries coasts and stopping any wind turbine being built within 32 kilometres of a World Heritage Site.
Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, where the wind farm would be located off, is a World Heritage Site.
Chope wants to restrict the number of turbines at a wind farm to 100 and a 24 kilometre exclusion zone from other projects. He also wants to see the end of tax-payer funded payments in excess of the prevailing wholesale price of electricity.
The bill’s second reading debate will continue on 24 January. It was first presented to Parliament, during its first reading, on 24 June.
The bill is supported by Conservative MPs Peter Bone, David Nuttall, Philip Davies, Douglas Carswell, Julian Lewis, Conor Burns and Richard Drax.
Only a small minority of PMBs become law, which need government support. Energy Minister Michael Fallon said he does not support the bill as the Government is looking to support a range of renewable energy options.
A planning application for the 228 turbine Navitus Bay will be submitted in early 2014 and the secretary of state for energy and climate change is due to make a decision in 2015.
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