By Ciara Leary Higgins

When I started my internship with WEELO and UWE Bristol, my first task was to dig into the planning history of 27 pioneer onshore wind farms across England, Scotland, and Wales that had reached the end of their operational life. Starting this straight after my Geography degree, I assumed this would be a straightforward digital search where I would type in the planning reference, find the relevant planning documents and analyse how decommissioning was handled.

The reality turned out to be much more of a detective exercise!

I expected to find a clean digital paper trail for every site, but over half (55.6%) of the sites in my audit had no accessible online planning documents at all. Many of these developments from the 1990s predated digitised council systems, or their paper records were archived when local district councils merged over the last 25 years. This paper trail gap became one of the most important takeaways from my project: if planning files are not digitised, it is hard for researchers and stakeholders to monitor legacy obligations as operational consents expire.

For the sites where I could access planning records, a few key findings stood out:

• Planning conditions have evolved: Early 1990s consents were extremely brief, often just stating that turbines had to be removed after 20 years. By the 2010s, councils were requiring detailed Decommissioning Method Statements before construction could even begin.
• Decommissioning then repowering: Because prime wind locations have proven wind yield and existing grid connections, decommissioning is usually a stepping stone to upgrading the site rather than leaving it.
• Financial bonds are hidden: Not a single online register provided clear public details on financial decommissioning bonds, making it difficult for local communities to verify what financial protections exist if an operator defaults.

Overall, this internship was a fantastic experience that took me well beyond textbook theory. It really highlighted just how crucial accessible planning data is, not just for looking back at legacy sites, but for shaping better policy as more UK wind farms reach the end of their original consents.

If you would like to read the report associated with this research, please get in touch. A summary of the report can be accessed here: Planning data research – Wind energy end of life observatory (WEELO) and the full report can be accessed here: WEELO Planning_ Final Report.pdf

This internship has been invaluable and I am excited to apply what I have learnt to my next project!

Ciara Leary Higgins