Planning policy must be altered to encourage the development of renewable energy, including wind power, to help combat climate change, say green campaigners Friends of the Earth.

While pressure groups all over the country are in no doubt about the blight these installations have, Friends of the Earth says that there must be a presumption in favour of renewable energy sources, such as wind, wave and solar power and are pushing the government to compel planning authorities to accept them.

This would mean that planning authorities could only reject applications in exceptional circumstances. The environmental campaign group did say however, that wind farms should not be given the go-ahead if they risk damaging important wildlife sites and protected areas such as National Parks.

There is a considerable discrepancy between planning approval rates for wind farm developments between countries in the UK and within England. This is undermining the Government's target for producing 10 per cent of our electricity from renewables by 2010, and creates uncertainty for developers, say the Friends of the Earth.

According to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) in the past five years England has had an average approval rate (measured by megawatt capacity) at local level of just 50 per cent compared to 90 per cent in Scotland. This is due to strong policy guidance in Scotland and the support of the Scottish Executive, which recognises the benefits of renewable energy, argues the FoE.

A BWEA study (1999-2003) of the English counties where most applications have been made shows that Devon, Lancashire and Northumberland turned down every application. Most of the other counties had approval ratings of between 50 and 80 per cent.

Other groups have argued against land-based wind farms saying that to reach the government’s carbon emission targets, large swathes of Britains countryside would need to be sacrificed.

Mike Buckley, from the Saddleworth Moors Action Group, said: "The combined forces of the government, the wind power industry, their lobby groups and large sections of the green movement are vigorously promoting the adoption of land-based wind turbines across Britain."