Lincolnshire County Council look set to officially raise concerns over proposals for a wind farm to be connected to the grid in South Holland.
Total Energies and Corio Generation have applied to central government for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for The Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind Generating Station.
The turbines would be 54k off the coast with cables coming onshore at Wolla Bank, heading to a substation at Surfleet Marsh and then connect to the grid at Surfleet Marsh.
The cables would be underground, cross the A17 close to Fosdyke and run adjacent with the River Welland to Weston Marsh.
A temporary haul road would be created for the laying of the cable.
It’s been designated a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ so won’t be decided at a local level.
Instead an independent panel will be formed to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State as whether it could go ahead.
The county council though have been asked to submit a Local Impact Report which is due to be discussed by its own planning committee this week.
The authority’s report calls on the company to do a thorough study of the agricultural land it’s looking to go through,
A survey it commissioned states: “The proposed development is likely to have a mainly temporary impact on agriculture and soils that will result in the temporary loss of agricultural production in the development area generally and/or the possible more permanent loss of production from mostly very good and excellent quality agricultural land.
Land Drainage issues remain of concern to farmers and landowners in restoring the land after cable burial.”
The report though says the ‘biggest concern’ is on tourism which, it claims, the work could lead to visitors being put off by the area which ‘could result in the loss of income and the jobs this supports’.
