Call for ‘impact report’ into proposal to extend wind farm
Planning committee consider response to Rampion 2
Councillors have voiced concerns over plans to extend the Rampion Wind Farm and want to see a ‘local impact report’.
Rampion Extension Development Limited (REDL) aims to submit plans to construct an enlarged offshore wind farm in 2022.
The project would be considered by the Secretary of State, rather than the local planning authority, because the project would be built on Crown land and is labelled as a ‘nationally significant infrastructure project’.
This means the decision is out of Arun District Council’s hands – but it provided its input during the consultation period, which ended on Thursday.
Rampion 2 would be 13km off the coast, with turbines up to 325 metres tall. It would be an extension of Rampion 1, which gained permission in 2014.
During a meeting of Arun’s planning committee, councillors said they wished to express a ‘holding objection’ to the plans until a local impact report had been drawn up for submission to the Secretary of State.
Such a report might explore potential effects of the wind farm on the environment, tourism, recreation and ecology although the costs of producing one are currently unknown.
Members expressed concerns over the size of the turbines, the visual impact, the potential impact on wildlife, disturbance and low economic returns during construction.
Green councillor Isabel Thurston (Barnham) said: “It’s really difficult for me to say this but I don’t think I would be happy with us indicating approval or support until we got this impact report.
“The Arun River Valley is one of our most special and protected landscapes and we need to make it clear that we want to know exactly what the impacts are.”
Ricky Bower (Con, East Preston) suggested that Arun approach other coastal authorities who had similar developments to ask them about the impacts.
HealsosaidArunshouldplay a leading role in commissioning a joint area impact report. Mr Bower said: “Just having a local assessment is not going to be good enough at all. We should be leading on this and asking other local authorities to join us – not the other way around.”
He joked that having the turbines in the Outer Hebrides ‘would be preferable’.
Martin Lury (Lib Dem, Bersted) said he was ‘pro wind farms’ but that ‘eight miles off the coast is nothing at all’.