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• Offshore wind projects

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Race Bank, Docking Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farm projects within the Greater Wash

A strategic environmental assessment undertaken by the UK Government in 2003 identified The Wash as a key area for the potential development of offshore wind. Centrica and Warwick Energy were awarded the agreement for leases by The Crown Estate for three sites in The Wash to build offshore wind farms. The three applications were submitted  to the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) for Race Bank, Docking Shoal (Centrica) and Dudgeon (Warwick Energy) in 2008.

All three projects comprise part of a project listed at Annex II of the Directive 85/337EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive. The EIA Directive has been transposed into UK law for marine works, including works requiring a marine licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) and consent by the Marine Works (EIA) Regulations 2007 (as amended) (MWR). The applications were supported by an environmental statement (ES) and additional supporting information as required by regulation 12 of the MWR.

The proposed developments are located within a number of European marine sites and during consultation, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) advised that the proposal would have a likely significant effect on designated features of these sites. Therefore, under the requirements of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2007 an appropriate assessment (AA) was required to assess the proposed development's impact on the conservation objectives of the European sites.

The AA concluded that the three projects will have an adverse effect on the North Norfolk SPA Sandwich tern population, in-combination with Race Bank, Dudgeon, Triton Knoll and Sherringham Shoal. Therefore, in order to comply with the Habitats Regulations a marine licence has been granted for Dudgeon and Race Bank but we have been unable to proceed with the Docking Shoal application at this time.

Additional information is available from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's press release.