Decision details

Proposed extension to Rampion Offshore Wind Farm: approval of consultation response ECC03 (21/22)

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change (Cllr Deborah Urquhart)

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Rampion Extension Development Limited (REDL) propose to extend the existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm off the Sussex coast.  The proposal, Rampion 2, is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) requiring a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State (rather than planning permission from the local planning authority).  The County Council is a statutory consultee in the DCO process.

 

Rampion 2 will have a generating capacity of up to 1,200MW, compared with 400MW for Rampion 1.  The offshore element of Rampion 2 will be located within an area of search to the west and south east of the existing wind farm together with a small link or ‘bridge’ area between the two areas for cabling.  The onshore elements of the scheme include a buried transmission cable running for approximately 36km between a landfall at Climping Beach, near Littlehampton, and a ‘satellite’ project substation located within a 5km radius of the Bolney National Grid Substation. 

 

REDL will undertake formal consultation on the proposal from 14 July to 16 September 2021.

Decision:

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change has:

(a)     approved the comments in paragraphs 2.33-2.64 of the report and the detailed comments in Appendix D as the County Council’s formal response to the consultation on the proposed extension to the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm

(b)     authorised the Director of Highways, Transport, and Planning to respond to any further stages of pre-submission consultation - in support of the formal response approved under (a)

(c)     if an application for a Development Consent Order is submitted, authorised the Director of Highways, Transport, and Planning to:

(i)      approve the County Council’s ‘adequacy of consultation’ response

(ii)     prepare and submit the County Council’s written representation and Local Impact Report, and to negotiate with the applicant on the DCO requirements, any S106 Agreement, and the preparation of a Statement of Common Ground – all in support of the formal response approved under (a); and

(iii)    attend the examination hearings and answer the Examining Authority’s questions in support of the County Council’s position; and

(d)     if a Development Consent Order is made, approved the County Council becoming a relevant authority for the discharge of onshore requirements, provided that the Authority’s costs are met in full.

 

Interests and Nature of Interests Declared:

None

Publication date: 13/09/2021

Date of decision: 13/09/2021

Effective from: 23/09/2021

Accompanying Documents: