The boating association has flagged up its concerns about the impact on small craft
With the deadline for objections to the Navitus Bay windfarm set to pass at midnight tonight (23 June), the RYA has submitted its summary of views to the Planning Inspectorate.
The boating association has spoken of the potential for an increase in “risks to navigation for leisure boaters” should the construction of an offshore windfarm be approved between the Needles and the Jurassic Coast – an area that the RYA describes as “immensely popular with leisure craft”.
Navitus Bay would be the UK’s largest offshore windfarm, and its proposed location is 8.9nm (14.3km) from the Devon/Dorset coast – well inside the government’s recommended limit of 12nm.
Stuart Carruthers, cruising manager at the RYA, said: “There are concerns surrounding the loss of amenity to leisure boaters and the potential impact of this on the local businesses dependent on them.”
The RYA added that it has submitted written responses at every stage, and although some of its concerns have been addressed, the boating association would continue to be involved in the Planning Inspectorate’s examination process in the future.
Further objections to Navitus Bay have come from the likes of Unesco, who claimed that the windfarm would “dominate” the view from the World Heritage site of the Jurassic Coast.
A joint project between Eneco and EDF Energy, Navitus Bay could be granted a development consent order from the Secretary of State for Environment and Climate Change in spring 2015.
