The Development Consent Application for the Navitus Bay offshore wind farm off the South Coast has been accepted for examination
The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has today confirmed that Navitus Bay Development Limited’s formal application for development consent has been accepted and will progress to the pre-examination stage.
This means that members of the public will be able to register as an interested party in order to provide comments on the application and be kept informed of the progress of the examination.
The acceptance decision means that PINS, on behalf of the Secretary of State, has accepted the application to proceed to the next phase of the National Infrastructure planning process.
This decision was based on a number of legal criteria, including the adequacy of consultation undertaken by Navitus Bay when considered against the statutory tests.
The registration period for interested parties commences next week and will run for a minimum of 28 days. Further details for how to register will be posted on the PINs website. Visit http://www.tinyurl.com/nbayportal
Mike Unsworth, project director for Navitus Bay, said: ‘We are delighted that our Development Consent Application has been accepted for examination and it is testament to the vast amount of work undertaken by the project team and independent experts to deliver the 18,000-page application.
‘While PINS examines our application we will continue to work with stakeholders, businesses and residents in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight whenever we can, to make sure that everyone is kept up-to-date about the project and the considerable benefits that it would bring, in terms of sustainable energy generation, job creation and economic opportunities.’
Navitus Bay Development Limited is proposing to build an offshore wind farm with up to 194, 200m-tall wind turbines situated in popular sailing waters
off Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
The Challenge Navitus opposition group has criticised Navitus Bay Development Limited
for not
informing people adequately on key impacts of the scheme.
Dr Andrew
Langley of Challenge Navitus said the scheme’s visual impact has been under-representated and a special
analysis of impacts on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site was missing from
the pre-planning application public consultation, along with concerns about the potentially negative impact on tourism during the construction years.
Public meeting
Bournemouth Borough Council is among several local authorities developing its formal response to this proposal, and is keen to hear
from local people about how it should respond to the application.
The council has organised a public meeting to hear its residents’ views on the proposed Navitus Bay windfarm this Saturday 10 May at 2pm at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC).
This meeting is open only to Bournemouth residents, find out more at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/windfarm