Offshore Wind Farm

SATURDAY, 10th MARCH, 2012

Eon’s proposed ‘Rampion Offshore Wind Farm’ proposals were available to view at this one-day consultation exhibition in Hove, held at St. Andrew’s Church Hall opposite Hove Library.  The formal consultation period continues until early May.

This wind farm of massive turbines, proposed to be arrayed within the channel bed, would be highly visible on the channel horizon from within the city.  Will it also kill migrating birds, compromise the shipping lane and create local air turbulance that would interfere with use of catamarans, other sailing vessels? 

Exhibition flats and the booklet make it clear they already admit that birds will be affected.

Questioning about the total absence of any reference to air turbulence above or around the field of about 195 turbines up to 210m high was dismissed as irrelevant here or in any of the arrays they have installed elsewhere.  It was claimed other arrays of turbines have been installed near airfields and sailing clubs too.

Nonetheless, if there is no data within the Environmental Statement when the planning application is submitted, it would be unfortunate, given the high numbers of private planes flying in and out of Shoreham and the high numbers of sailors using the sea out of the Marina and the Brighton Sailing Club.

Brighton & Hove has a tourism-dependant economy and it would be unthinkable to allow this proposed field of massive turbines to be installed to interfere with the leisure industries and use of the area on the beaches (looking out to sea at what looks like a line of barbed wire in the Eon travelling exhibition photomontages), in the sea or from the air.

The most intrusive views would be from Worthing but the turbines array would be clearly visible from the beach in Brighton between the Piers too – right where the tourists drop their towels….

This roving exhibition has already been mounted in Brighton, Worthing, Newhaven, Steyning and Shoreham-by-Sea before coming to Hove.  This was the last opportunity to have a close look at this material and ask questions of the developers in Brighton & Hove.  They will, however, be in Lancing on March 29th.