Climate minister Sophie Hermans reportedly wants to “temporarily” ignore MPs’ demands to set a legal distance between wind turbines and homes in order to “push through” projects, sources have told the Telegraaf.

MPs earlier asked the minister to adopt a distance of at least four times the length of a turbine and to introduce a limit to noise and low-frequency levels, rules already applied in countries like Denmark.

If brought in, the distance rule would mean a sharp cut in the number of turbines which can be located in the Dutch countryside. Now Hermans is thinking about  halving that distance norm in order to develop an extra 100 wind parks before 2030, inside sources told the paper.

Noise from wind turbines can affect sleep, leading to other health problems, research has shown. According to high profile doctor Diederik Gommers, turbines can cause neurological problems and should be placed at least two kilometres away from residential areas.

The Council of State also ruled earlier that people who live near wind farms are not properly protected against the potential effects of turbine noise on health.

A spokesman for the minister said the discussion about the subject is ongoing and that any decision on the matter would be communicated to MPs.

There is currently no national legal minimum distance in the Netherlands between turbines and built-up areas, which has led to protests across the country  – particularly in places where local authorities want to place turbines within 600 metres of people’s homes, currently the broad standard.

The legal noise level is 47 decibels, measured outside the house, but much of the noise created by wind farms depends on the type of turbine and wind direction, and varies according to the weather.

In Amsterdam, the city council has pledged to go to court and overturn a provincial ban on plans to build three wind turbines on the edge of a lake in Amsterdam-Noord.

The three 200 metre-high turbines, part of a 17 turbine project, are a key part of the city council’s sustainability plans to provide green energy for 200,000 households.

But campaigners say they are too big and too close to hundreds of homes.