Representation by KINGSTON PARISH COUNCIL (KINGSTON PARISH COUNCIL)
- Date submitted
- 2 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Kingston Parish Council strongly opposes the application for the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm. Council first raised its concerns during consultations held by Rampion in the lead up to this application and is disappointed that these concerns have not been sufficiently addressed. Council’s objections are: 1. The Location: Whilst Council fully supports the need to bring on stream more renewable energy, wind farms need to located with sensitivity to the amenity and landscape of the local area. It is important to focus investment on projects which will give the best return in the efficiency of producing energy and balancing this against the impact it will have on the local area. There have been reports that over the summer the power output from the existing Rampion 1 installation has fallen to only 2.25% of its nominal capacity due to lack of wind power. There are other sites around the coast where the turbines can be set much further out to sea to reduce the visual impact such as at Dogger Bank in the North Sea and these will also benefit from increased wind strength and efficiency. There is no justification for the argument that there is a need for a wind farm to be sited along the Sussex Coast to serve the local population, as power from the wind farm is fed into the National Grid whether it is generated off of Sussex or in the North Sea. The location is contrary to government policy: - It is within inshore waters and this is against the OESEA2 government guidelines that all offshore wind projects should actually be offshore i.e. more than 12 nautical miles (14 miles) from shore. - It is contrary to the OESEA3/White report that identifies that wind farms with the height of the Turbines proposed should be more than 25 miles from a sensitive area such as the South Downs National Park. 2. The Visual Impact: There will be an extremely detrimental visual effect on the seascape given: - Rampion 2 is to be sited only some 8 miles from the shoreline - this is far too close. Turbines of this size and quantity should be sited much further out to sea and not inshore. - This stretch of the West Sussex coastline is an inappropriate location for such a large wind farm. The English Channel is too narrow to enable the turbines to be positioned far enough out to sea to be acceptable. - The much larger sized turbines than for Rampion 1 (up to 325m above the sea at low tide – taller than the Eiffel Tower!) will have a greater visual impact than Rampion 1, during the day and when lit at night. - The combined and extended span of Rampion 1 and 2 will unacceptably affect the seascape of an extensive part of the Sussex coastline, ‘fencing’ in the Sussex Bay. This will impact on the views for residents and tourists as well as views from iconic sites such as Arundel Castle and the South Downs National Park. 3. The Environmental Impact: There will be a detrimental impact on the Environment due to: - The effect of turbines on birds, bats etc. as their safe flight corridors will be lost. - The disturbance of the seabed that will impact on the plants and sea creatures. For instance, the loss of Black Bream in our area and of breeding grounds for lobsters and crabs. - The adverse effect on the countryside and its wildlife due to the laying of cables from Climping to Bolney. This includes passing through, and disturbing, the protected South Downs National Park. 4. The Economic Impact: The sea view is cited as one of the main reasons to visit the West Sussex coastline and the proposal will affect tourism which is vital to the area and to our larger towns such as Littlehampton, Bognor and Arundel. Additionally, Fisherman will be adversely affected due to the loss of breeding grounds and habitats for marine life, including crab and lobster. 5. Conclusion: The adverse impacts of Rampion 2 would demonstrably outweigh the benefits for both current and future generations of residents and visitors. The wind farm will damage our seaside views and beauty, deterring people attracted to visit or live here and stifling the economic benefits that visitors and new residents bring.