Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 7 June 2022.
I thank Peter Fox for that additional question, Llywydd. I know that he's got expertise of his own; he was the leader of Monmouthshire County Council when the council created a solar farm, a scheme that the Welsh Government was very pleased to support. So, I know that he will have seen for himself the balance that has to be struck between renewable energy developments, which are absolutely necessary, and their impact on the local environment.
It is very good, Llywydd, to hear a voice on the Conservative benches here looking to preserve the environment of the Gwent levels. It's not always been the policy of that party, as we know. But, as you have seen, and Peter Fox pointed to that example, where there was a proposed development that the Minister felt did not weigh up properly the benefits and the disbenefits of it, she was prepared to take action and to prevent those developments from taking place. So, I give the Member an assurance that the Welsh Government continues always to weigh up those many factors, both the positive reasons why renewable energy developments could be given the go-ahead and also the impact that they have on the local environment and the need to strike that balance in each case.