Petition to reconsider Navitus Bay wind farm off the Dorset coast

Adrian Chapmanlaw, who started the online petition, said: “The wind farms I’ve seen are quite elegant.

“They are not unsightly and will be 12 miles offshore.

“People are quick to say why they shouldn’t be going somewhere but can’t answer where they think they should be.

“We have recently hit record high temperatures, the climate crisis is a very real issue that we need to address as quickly as possible.

East Dorset Friends of the Earth leader Angela Pooley said: “It’s definitely time for this to be reconsidered.

“Navitus’ refusals were for all the wrong reasons.

“There was so much misinformation, which made it such a struggle.”

Navitus Bay was rejected by the government in September 2015 after years of controversy, with opposition from councils and MPs.

BCP Council transport portfolio holder Mike Greene opposed the plans mainly due to concerns about how wind farms would affect the tourism sector.

in 2013, an impact study conducted by the wind farm developer showed that up to a third of all visitors may decide not to visit the area during the three-year development phase.

And once the wind farm was built and commissioned, 14% of visitors at the time said the loss of sight would keep them from returning.

Cllr Mike Greene said: “The investigation showed how devastating the impact would have been on tourism, it would leave the industry in economic ruin.

“That would leave tens of thousands of people out of work.

“People who come to Bournemouth for the tranquility and the beautiful coastline would fear it would be destroyed.

“There have been developments which mean there is potential for wind farms on floating platforms, which means they can be placed much further away.

“If a proposal were to come forward that was invisible to our tourist areas, there would be no reason to oppose it.”

READ MORE: Navitus Bay won’t appeal wind farm denial

A personal supporter of the project a few years ago was BCP adviser Vikki Slade. Her position has remained the same as she explains that we “desperately need” renewable energy.

Vikki said: “Nobody comes to Bournemouth to look at an empty sea, tourists come for the quality of the sand and the activities on land.

“Brighton is one of the biggest seaside attractions in the county and has a wind farm, closer to shore than Navitus would ever be.

“We need to find a way around the issues raised because if we continue to refuse plans we will end up with worse solutions in the future.”

Cllr Margret Phipps, who represents the Christchurch Independent Party, said: “Previous plans for a wind farm have been subject to extensive public consultation and full planning application investigation before being released. refused.

“There was a long list of reasons why it was turned down. If it was the same thing in the same place, then I expect it to be turned down for the same reasons as before.”

You can see Adrian’s petition here: https://www.change.org/p/conduct-a-public-consultation-on-a-wind-farm-in-poole-bay?redirect=false&fbclid=IwAR3OmW8WehwHZ92-GWTGr7pf1p32ImZ53SiA0FQVEzi9mOrfdXKXl12yTFQ