The Rampion Wind Farm - update

The proposals (see previous post) for a wind farm off Brighton by the energy company E.ON are entering the end game. The public consultations, by means of a series of exhibitions ended on the 6th May 2012. They displayed the following visualisations of the wind farm as viewed from the seafront & Devil's Dyke:-

195, 3.6MW turbines

100, 7MW turbines

100, 7MW turbines

Click on the images to view full screen and the turbine arrays become visible. They can hardly be described as obtrusive or offensive to the eye. The effect will be more subtle. Where once there was nothing between here and France there will now be the hint of clutter, a loss of 'wildness'. A part of the English Channel will have been colonised to serve our energy needs. This may be a small sacrifice that has to be accepted, so long as we can be sure that wind power is an essential element of the plans for energy security & diversity. At least offshore arrays seem infinitely preferable to the equivalent on land.

Mojave desert - forest of wind turbines on skyline

The proposal has now moved to a formal statutory consultation including statutory bodies and publicising the application. The city council will submit a Local Impact Report, giving details of the likely impact of the proposed development on the authority’s area. E.ON will then refine its application, for submission  in August to the Government's Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) for development consent. The IPC decision is expected in Autumn 2013.