Scotland’s wood burning stove ban looks set to be overturned with Energy Minster Gillian Martin admitting that the new regulations were “inflexible.”

The Tories described it as a “screeching u-turn”.

At the same time, former Green minister Patrick Harvie accused the SNP administration of “unravelling modest measures” to tackle the climate emergency after a “little bit of lobbying from vested interests.”

Since April, the New Build Heat Standard requires all new Scottish homes and buildings to install “climate-friendly heating systems.”

It forbids the use of direct emission heating (DEH) systems.

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Effectively, this means that new houses and conversions are not allowed to use gas or oil boilers, or any form of bioenergy where electricity or heat is generated from organic matter such as wood.

Instead, housebuilders are expected to use what are known as zero DEH systems such as heat pumps, solar thermal storage systems or electric storage heaters.

However, the new rules put in place exceptions for DEH systems to be used in an emergency.

One of the biggest critics of the effective ban has been Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister.

Speaking to The Scottish Mail on Sunday, Ms Forbes said the government was now “reviewing a whole host of different policy areas to ensure that they resonate with the public’s priorities”

She told the paper: “Now there has been a change in leadership over the last few weeks and I understand very, very starkly why people would be concerned for example, around a ban on woodburning stoves in new properties, particularly because it’s a dependable source."

The comments were raised in parliament by Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton, who asked the government to confirm the review.

Ms Martin told MSPs: “I've been listening to the concerns raised by communities and will be reviewing the regulations on wood burning stoves and biomass boilers with an intention to adapt them to address the issues of inflexibility that they have raised.

“The outcome of this review will ensure resilience to interruptions of electricity and heating, supply, and respect for rural communities, culture and traditions and sustainable systems.

“I want to ensure climate friendly alternatives to direct emissions are promoted in appropriate ways across Scotland with no unintended consequences with regard to fuel poverty and sustainability, particularly in rural communities.

“And the review will be carried out in short order and be collaborative, including communities, businesses, local authorities to ensure that reflects all views.”

“Well, surprise, surprise, the SNP have done another screeching u-turn,” Ms Hamilton replied.

“My party has long demanded these rules be changed. They are misguided, they are ill-formed and they fail to understand the realities of rural life.”

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Mr Harvie said there were clear exemptions in the regulation and the building regime.

“So isn't it clear that the situation we have now is that all we need is a little bit of lobbying from vested interests and a little bit of misinformation and the SNP will now start unravelling, modest measures that have been put in place for good reasons?” he said.

Ms Martin said she agreed that “there's been a lot of misinformation around this”.

“These regulations were never a ban on wood burning stoves,” she insisted.