Rampion developers challenged to help support seafront projects
We have published our response to a proposal to extend the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.
The Rampion 2 application seeks to add up to 90 wind turbines, associated foundations and electrical infrastructure required to transmit the power into the national network. The new turbines would be up to 2.3 times the height of the existing ones.
The application is currently being examined by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
Councillor Alan Robins, Chair of the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Economic Development Committee said: "Sustainable energy production is vital for the environment and our future.
"Renewable energy also holds the key to bringing down energy bills and putting money back into the people’s pockets. We want to play our role in the region working towards net zero and providing clean energy to potentially 1 million more homes.
“As a major tourist destination the future of Brighton & Hove’s economy and many jobs depends on tourism. This development will affect our coastline, but currently without any compensation being proposed for the city.
“We support the principal of the development of Rampion 2, but we believe the impact of the scheme on our coastline has not been properly assessed so far. We are very keen to engage with the developers, but to date we’ve had no response to our requests for discussions.
“While the overall climate change benefits of wind energy are clear, few local benefits were secured when the Rampion 1 was built, despite it being clearly visible from the city’s coastline. The new plans will significantly increase that visual impact with the new turbines being up to 325m in height. Despite this increased impact, currently there is no proposed economic or other benefit to Brighton & Hove.
“If the Planning Inspectorate approves the scheme, we believe that a package of compensation for the city focussed on further improvements to the seafront as a tourism asset, and in particular supporting the Madeira Terrace project, should be part of the legal agreement.”
The proposed Rampion 2 site
The application site is located 13km from the coast of Brighton & Hove, to the south and west of the existing Rampion 1 site.
The city has 11km of coastline facing out towards the existing and proposed windfarm. The coastline contains some of our most sensitive assets in terms of visual impact, including seven of the city’s conservation areas - Pembroke and Princes, Brunswick Town, Regency Square, Old Town, Valley Gardens, East Cliff and Kemp Town.
In addition, the Grade II listed Kemp Town Enclosures Park and Garden is on the seafront, itself incorporating the Grade II* Listed Madeira Terrace and the Grade II Listed Dukes Mound. There are 30 listed buildings in the seafront area south of the A259 alone, and many listed buildings north of this with views of the sea.
The application process
The application will be decided by the Secretary of State. The current Planning Inspectorate examination is expected to close on 6 August 2024, after which the authority will write its recommendation report. This must be completed and sent to the Secretary of State within 3 months of the end of examination.
Further information
More information about the examination of the application can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
The developer’s Rampion 2 website gives more details about the proposed development and consultation.
You can view the council’s full Local Impact Report submission on our Major Developments web pages.
