Fylde Council have lodged objections with elements of the proposed Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farm plans during a statutory consultation conducted by the developer.
The developer’s pre-application consultation on the transmission assets associated with the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms closed on 23 November 2023. Fylde Council has given very careful consideration to the information contained in the consultation material and resolved to raise objections to several aspects of the proposal, as well as expressing concern that the consultation took place ahead of many details of the proposed scheme being finalised.
Cllr Tommy Threlfall, Lead Member for the Environment at Fylde Council, commented: ‘I am hugely disappointed, both in the plans outlined and the degree to which the consultation failed to involve the community. The locations of the consultation venues and the details provided were wholly inadequate, particularly the absence of an event in Freckleton, an issue I had raised in September. Freckleton’s farming and residential communities stand to be greatly affected by the plans as described, yet they were left out of these discussions.
‘I spoke to many people who were able to attend the sessions which did take place, and the consensus opinion was almost wholly negative. Residents left the consultations more confused than they arrived, describing the detail as poor, and noting the lack of clarity.
‘I and Mark Menzies MP, Member for Fylde, will be making representations to both the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, stressing the need for alternative cable corridors and a less invasive means of connecting to the national grid.’
A full copy of Fylde Council’s consultation reply can be found on the Fylde Council website here: https://new.fylde.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/windfarm-consultation-response.pdf
For more details see this Lytham St. Anne’s News article: https://www.lythamstannes.news/news/lytham-st-annes-consultation-launches-for-morgan-morecambe-offshore-wind-farms/
