A letter from Dr Jonathan Dean, trustee of CPRW

Dear Editor

As a trustee of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales I think we should all commend them for their request of all candidates in the general election such that, whoever forms the next UK government, all elected members should work to:

• make rooftop solar a standard requirement for new buildings, retrofit all possible government buildings and incentivise rooftop installation to avoid the use of greenfield sites

• lease more offshore wind where it is easier and quicker to develop in the shallow Irish Sea off north Wales, so that the Welsh Government does not need to pursue onshore wind and solar exclusively

• develop an integrated offshore electricity transmission grid connecting offshore wind farms and new coastal power stations to main centres of electricity demand, using brownfield sites where possible

• revise government policy to find the best solution (subsea, underground, overhead) to electricity transmission, following the existing Treasury Green Book which values the natural capital of landscapes and countryside

• insist on genuine community engagement at the earliest stage before technology decisions on energy infrastructure are made We need action in both Westminster and the Senedd to protect the glorious landscapes and countryside of Wales for future generations/

Cofion

Dr Jonathan F Dean,   Llanerchymedd