New wind farms will be approved much faster under plans revealed by Humza Yousaf to try to accelerate Scotland’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Despite promising to take firm action on climate change, the first minister was criticised by environmental groups for an “underwhelming” set of policies.
The cornerstone of the green pledges in Yousaf’s programme for government committed to agree a deal with industry that would “halve the consenting time” for new large-scale projects.
Previous analysis by Brodies, the legal firm, found that the average time for a determination on such developments, which can prove controversial in some local communities, was three years.
The announcement came as Rishi Sunak agreed to relax a ban for onshore wind farms in England as the prime minister moved