The environmental group Friends of the Earth, from Brighton and Hove, said it supports the plans for the Rampion offshore wind farm proposed by E.ON, as long as the company is willing to avoid destructive impact on the South Downs National Park, reported Brighton and Hove News.
The group said that the wind farm is needed immediately to reduce carbon emissions, but urged E.ON to hold a full 12-week consultation once the detailed environmental reports come out. It described the formal 12-week community consultation that ended on 6 May as not suitable, though it was a good exercise in raising awareness.
“Very little technical information was released. For example, the environmental impact assessment was not published,” Friends of the Earth added.
“The information that was presented was often inadequate, such as the lack of photo-montages, which has made it difficult for the public to make informed comments on the proposals.”
Chris Todd , from Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth , said: “ Rampion represents an important step towards reducing our carbon emissions and tackling climate change.
“However, that must not blind us to just accept any old development.
“Eon needs to demonstrate that impacts on the South Downs have been minimised as far as practicable.
“It seems odd that Eon requires a 14km cable route through the national park at a point where it is only 4km to 5km wide.”
Moreover, the group added that:
“The closeness of the start of second consultation to the end of the first raises suspicions that the consultation process is more of a tick box exercise rather than a real engagement with local people.”
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Offshore WIND staff, May 8; Image: E.ON