Today Britain has about 3,500 wind turbines and the speed in which they are being built means by 2020 there will be over 10,000 of which 4,300 will be based off shore. On a windy day (but not too windy as the machines don’t then work) they will collectively contribute around 30% of our energy needs. (source)
Whilst some sceptics may question the concept of global warming, there is agreement that we are slowly running out of oil and gas but just as critical is energy security – the ability to guarantee an uninterrupted of supply of power to keep the British lights on. If we rely on imports (for example 1/3 of our coal usage comes from Russia) and that source is interrupted then the impact to Britain’s economy could be enormous.
Becoming energy self-sufficient makes sense as is utilizing our windy shores as part of a diverse portfolio of power generation (including oil, gas, bio fuels, nuclear, clean coal, solar and imported power from France).
Support in principle is one thing – in practice it’s another and this is now being tested with a proposal by Eneco to erect up to 200 wind turbines, each over 100 metres high, in Poole Bay. Eneco was awarded development rights following a tendering process launched by The Crown Estate in 2008 to deliver 32GW of offshore wind power in UK waters by 2020 and if approved the construction would start in 2016 and begin operations in 2019.Nothing has yet been agreed and there are some serious questions to be asked before this part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast is dotted with wind turbines. The first and most critical is what impact this wind farm, measuring 76 square miles, would have on the conurbation’s tourism? The zone, a long pentagon shape, earmarked for development is called Navitus Bay and its nearest point is situated around 8 miles south of Hengistbury Head. The zone itself is over 10 miles deep – prompting the question, how far within the zone could these turbines be placed in order to reduce their visibility?Whilst the approximate area in Poole Bay is known, along with the target power generation (900 MW), other question such as the height number and exact location of turbines has yet to be proposed. Bournemouth Council, who must agree planning permission are to be congratulated for establishing a Task and Finish Panel to probe into these issues.
The impact on local tourism (Bournemouth’s biggest industry) must be fully assessed. This may require a mock up, erected on a ship so an accurate judgement can be made of the wind farm’s visibility from our seafront at various distances.
I understand, from visiting other seaside towns in Britain (including Blackpool) that only after successful co-ordinated local campaigning was the leading edge of the wind farm pushed back by 6-10 miles. I would therefore encourage the panel to look carefully at the lessons that Bournemouth might learn from these previous campaigns.
If the decision is finally approved, we must battle for the best deal, which would see another aspect of our tourism offering improved such as for example the widening the promenade to mitigate the impact of the eyesore offshore.
Until more detailed information is provided by Eneco and the impact to Bournemouth’s tourism is assessed, acknowledged and resolved, the Council would be wise not to support this application.