Siemens and Associated British Ports’ (ABP) plans for a £210m wind turbine facility at Green Port Hull have been recommended for outline approval by planners, subject to conditions.
The project, which is expected to create 700 jobs and complete in 2014, involves the demolition of existing buildings at Alexandra Dock for use as a massive facility for the manufacture, assembly, storage, handling and testing of wind turbine components for the offshore power industry.
The outline approval is for a factory of between 134,500 sq ft and 279,760 sq ft and a range of ancillary buildings, a helicopter landing site, as well as areas for the storage, handling, assembly, and testing of wind turbine components.
Siemens is investing £80m in the Alexandra Dock site with ABP channelling £130m into the port infrastructure.
Green Port Hull is one of the three named areas that comprise the Humber Estuary Enterprise Zone. The zone is located within the Humber Estuary Renewable Energy Super Cluster and provides financial incentives to manufacturing companies in the renewable energy sector, with a view to creating further economic benefit and innovation in the associated supply chain.
A Local Development Order (LDO), which enables the council to effectively extend permitted development rights for specified types of development, is intended to be introduced in support of the zone. The LDO is awaiting approval from government.
In plans to be scrutinised by a Hull City Council planning committee next week (9 May 2012), councillors are recommended to grant outline approval to the development despite concerns about noise levels and the negative impact on nearby areas of nature conservation.
It is recommended that the secretary of state is informed that Hull City Council considers there are “Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest” which justify the adverse affects on natural habitats.
The outline approval is also subject to the availability of a noise mitigation grant to identified properties in Victoria Dock; a framework travel plan; and the maintenance and operation of a new section of river defence wall.
A number of separate applications by APB in part to enable the new quay to be used for the handling of wind turbines and associated traffic have also been recommended for conditional approval.
[mappress]
Offshore WIND staff, May 2, 2012; Image: Siemens