Abstract
Onshore wind farms are reaching the end of their operational or consent life and we need to consider how to plan for the future. This paper draws upon detailed empirical data from four UK case studies to understand the range and impact of changes that occur over the life of operational wind farms, including economic, policy, landscape and community changes and how these changes impact decisions regarding the future. In doing so it reveals the challenges of using time-limited consents without adequate consideration of the future. It also demonstrates the benefits for planning of adopting a multiple temporalities approach.