Council To Discuss Impact Of Wind Farm Expansion On Sussex Residents

Wednesday, 10 January 2024 17:01

By Thomas Hanway, Local Democracy Reporter

View Of The Rampion Wind Farm from shore, courtesy of Rampion Offshore Wind

An impact assessment of the Rampion Wind Farm expansion on residents is to be agreed by Arun District Council.

The details of the Local Impact Report are to be agreed by the council’s planning committee on Wednesday, January 17 and submitted to the national Planning Inspectorate for consideration.

The scheme, called Rampion 2, will see 90 new wind turbines added to the existing 116 wind turbines off the coast of Littlehampton and connected to the national grid, with the new turbines proposed to be 325 metres tall compared to the existing ones sitting at 140 metres tall.

The report notes this is just to determine the ‘positive, negative and neutral’ impacts on the district as a result of the scheme, and that a separate written representations report will be created for ‘objections, concerns and matters of support’.

Rampion 2 Proposed Cable Route, Rwe

A Development Consent Order proposal for Rampion 2 was submitted in August 2023 to the planning inspectorate, being accepted for examination in September.

The proposal is currently passing through the pre-examination phase and after a recommendation from the inspectorate, will eventually pass to the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for a decision.

In 2021 the council’s planning committee submitted a holding objection to the proposal over concerns for tourism, wildlife and potential local disruption, and following public consultations Rampion 2’s developers agreed in 2022 to scale back the expansion by nearly half.

Residents’ community groups have criticised Rampion 2’s public consultations held in 2021 and 2022, with some residents claiming they weren’t contacted in time or at all for the consultations.

Construction could start in 2026 if approval is given for the expansion by the Secretary of State.