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EMAIL [email protected] TEL 020 3148 4873Construction of the Rampion
offshore wind farm near Brighton
has begun, but plans for a large
wind farm in Navitus Bay off the
Dorset coast have been rejected.
Planning consent for the
controversial Navitus Bay Wind
Park project has been refused by
the Secretary of State for Energy
and Climate Change. Energy
Minister Lord Bourne announced
in September his decision to
refuse the application by Navitus
Bay Development Limited for
both the original, larger proposal
and an alternative, smaller wind
farm on the same site.
In contrast, the Rampion wind
farm, to be operated by E.ON, will
be the fi rst offshore wind farm
anywhere on the south coast.
Seabed preparations are
underway and construction
of the turbines will begin
in January 2016, with
completion due in October.
The wind farm will cover
27.8 square miles (72 km^2 )
and the nearest turbine to
shore will be eight miles
from Worthing, with 116
turbines generating 400
Megawatts (MW). The
turbines will be 85m tall,
with a minimum clearance
for the turbine blades of
22 metres above MHWS
and at least 750 metres
between the turbines.
There were mixed
responses from local
sailors. David Ramus,commodore of the Sussex Yacht
Club in Shoreham, explained:
‘We did object to the scheme
on the grounds that it creates a
navigation hazard in our sailing
area. Its distance offshore means
that it won’t have an impact on
our inshore racing calendar, but
it will impact our cross-Channel
events, such as the Royal Escape
to Fécamp in May, for which we
will need to modify the course.’
Stuart Henton, commodore of
Brighton Belle Yacht Club, was
more sanguine: ‘Fundamentally,
we are in support of Rampion,’
he said. ‘It is a good source of
carbon-neutral energy. It will be
a navigational hazard, but we are
used to avoiding other hazards
and sailors will get used to it.’The Navitus Bay
proposal comprised 194
turbines over an area of
59 square miles (153km^2 )
lying 9.3 miles from the
Needles and 7.8 miles
from Durlston Head
on the Isle of Purbeck.
The initial proposal was
supplemented by a
‘Turbine Area Mitigation
Option’ for a smaller
wind farm of 105 turbines
further offshore.
Developers estimated
that Navitus Bay would
contribute £1.6bn to the
UK economy, but local councils
claimed it would damage the
pristine Jurassic Coast, put
tourists off and cause a total loss
of £6.3bn to the economy.
The RYA initially objected
to the scheme as it posed
a ‘hazard to safety of
navigation’ but withdrew
its formal objection after
its concerns, such as
underwater obstructions
and blade clearance heights
were accommodated.
The RYA was nevertheless
‘delighted’ that planning
consent was not given for
either of the proposed
options. RYA cruising
manager Stuart Carruthers
said: ‘The impact on the
marine leisure industry
would have been huge
because of the perception
of hindrance it would create,putting people off sailing in the
area and damaging businesses.
‘We also had major concerns
about the four-year construction
phase with large vessels using
the already busy and challenging
waters of the western Solent.’
Stuart Grant, project director
at Navitus Bay said: ‘While we
are clearly disappointed by the
decision, we would like to thank
the communities of Dorset,
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
for the high level of engagement
they’ve shown in the project.’
Maria McCaffery, chief executive
of Renewable UK, the trade
association for renewable energy
developers, said: ‘It’s deeply
disappointing that Navitus Bay
has been refused consent. This is
a missed opportunity to capitalise
on the UK’s superb offshore
wind resource and the economic
benefi ts it brings.’South coast’s fi rst wind
farm, but not Navitus Bay
Cable corridorBrighton
Hove0 5nmWind turbineRampion wind farmEnglish ChannelWorthingCHART: MAXINE HEATHThe windfarm will be
visible from Brighton, but
only just, as this artist’s
impression showsPHOTO: ALAMYYachts will need to avoid the new
Rampion wind farm, as well as the
construction works that are now underwayPHOTO/ARTIST’S IMPRESSION: RSK/E.ON4 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com NOVEMBER 2015