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The public wants renewable energy to top the government’s agenda for green growth, with support for onshore wind schemes ‘sky-high’, according to the results of a survey.

Renewable energy should be prioritised over all other measures outlined in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan, announced in November 2020, the study discovered.

Measures that scored highly with those polled included: investing £1 billion to make homes, schools and hospitals greener, and energy bills lower; ensuring that there is enough offshore capacity to power every home by 2030; turning water into energy with up to £500 million of investment in hydrogen; and harnessing nature’s ability to absorb carbon by planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year by 2025.

Commissioned by RenewableUK, the YouGov survey asked a weighted sample of 1,700 people to rank all 10 measures into their top five areas in which they think the government should be investing. It found:

Public support for onshore wind energy is ‘sky-high’ Approval of buildto-rent homes is on the rise

In the first three months of 2021, 6,937 new build-to-rent homes were granted full planning consent in the UK during the first three months of 2021, shows research published by the British Property Federation (BPF). The organisation said this is the highest number of permissions granted for any quarter in the build-to-rent sector's history. The BPF commissions the quarterly research to Savills, which draws on Glenigan’s planning database and Molior in London. It found: 188,456 – the number of build-to-rent homes either complete, under construction or in planning across the UK. This number is 21% more than the number recorded 12 months ago. Ian Fletcher, director of real estate policy at the BPF, noted that despite the lockdown to stem the spread of Covid-19 at the start of 2021, the build-to-rent sector “has remained resilient – supporting the economy, new construction, jobs, its customers and local communities”. “Not only has the sector continued to build muchneeded high-quality rental homes across the UK, but it is also diversifying – with plans to deliver more homes in suburban areas than ever before. It is hugely positive to see the sector offering more choice to customers who either choose or need to rent."

as many people supported the prioritisation of renewable energy as their top choice than any other green industry.

Support is particularly strong among respondents over the age of 65, with 75% choosing renewable energy as one of their top three priorities for government investment. Regions outside London have 105,722 build-to-rent homes either complete (29,673), under construction (19,827) or in planning (56,222).

London has 82,734 build-to-rent homes either completed (28,365), complete (16,227) or in planning (38,142).

There are more than 5,000 completed build-to-rent homes in suburban areas, 10% of all completed homes, which reflects “increasing demand for highquality rental homes” in the UK.

Support for building onshore wind farms also scored highly at 70%, with support at an equal level between those living within five miles of a wind farm as those living farther away.

33% of respondents reported that they have a more positive opinion of onshore wind now than they did five years ago.