Under proposals made last year, two wind farms off the coast of Morecambe will be built and then connected to a sub-power station in Penwortham by a cable corridor.
The developers of this project – partnered by BP, Cobra, Flotation Energy, and EnBW – say these turbines would generate enough electricity to power around two million homes and would “make a key contribution to the UK’s target of generating 50GW of power from offshore wind by 2030”.
However, the people of Fylde in Lancashire are extremely worried about what this will mean for them and the area where they live. Desperate to stop the project in its current form before it’s too late, they reached out to GB News to share their concerns.
The planned cable corridor to connect the wind farms to the substations – two of which are set to be built on ‘green belt’ land – would be wider than the M55 Motorway. Residents told GB News that they have no issues with the wind farms themselves and that they support the idea of green energy – but the cable corridor is where the problem lies.
A Lancashire community are enraged over plans to ‘cut Fylde in two’ with the development of a wind farm corridor
Getty/GB News
One resident – Andrew Lee – has lived in the area for 56 years. He runs the local post office but says his life’s work is conservation. He described the wildlife in the area, stating that there are over 100 species of birds, as well as a large brown hare population. He said that, if work goes ahead, development would “wipe everything out.”
He added: “The cable corridor is going to cut Fylde in two… it’s not a case of ‘can we do it?’, it’s a case of ‘we are doing it’… and it’s just wrong.”
Other locals in the area shared these concerns, expressing they were worried about “the noise”, “the land”, and even “the ugliness” of the project. One suggested that, if work were to go ahead, they would most likely move away from the area to escape it.
One business set to be affected by the proposals is the Wrea Green Equitation Centre. They have been offering horse riding for over four decades, including three thousand lessons for disabled pupils each year. But now, they say if the planned work continues, they would be forced to close.
One business set to be affected by the proposals is the Wrea Green Equitation Centre
GB News
Chris Pollitt, owner of the centre, told GB News that the works would touch the border of the school’s land, and as a result, the horses would no longer be safe to ride. She said: “Horses are very sensitive creatures. So, they’re not as logical as us, and they don’t understand words like ‘there’s going to be a loud noise in a minute’.”
She said that the noise, combined with the vibrations created by machinery and large vehicles, would mean her insurance would become “void” and that the horses would no longer be safe to ride. Thus, she would be forced to shut her business down.
Two weeks ago, Chris received a letter informing her that “mobilisation activities” would begin this month. It outlines that this particular work would take place until June of this year, and that working hours would be Monday to Saturday, from 8.00am till 6.00pm each day.
If this is the case, Chris told GB News it was the “end” of Wrea Green Riding School. Becoming emotional, she asked: “How is this allowed to happen? How are big companies allowed to do this?”
A resident received a letter two weeks ago informing her that ‘mobilisation activities’ would begin in April
GB News
Morecambe and Morgan Offshore Wind Farms plan
Morecambe and Morgan Offshore Wind Farms
A consultation period has taken place, and in a statement to GB News, the developers said:
“…we recognise that public consultation is a vital process, which gives the local community an opportunity to review our proposals, ask us questions and provide their feedback.
“All feedback we have received has been considered to date and helped inform our design process.
“We understand there are local concerns, and these will be addressed in due course. We intend to provide a further update on our plans over the coming months, before we submit our application, later in the year.”
Source Agencies
