Council urged to monitor wind cable project

Calls have been made for Blackpool Council to monitor work to bring wind farm cables ashore near Starr Gate.

Calls have been made for Blackpool Council to monitor work to bring wind farm cables ashore near Starr Gate.

The Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms scheme is proposing to build two wind farms (made up of 107 wind turbine generators) in the Irish Sea, around 22 miles off the Lancashire coast.

It would see undersea cables landing at Starr Gate beach, near Blackpool Airport, and running around 10 miles underground to two substations between Kirkham and Newton – mainly impacting on residents in neighbouring Fylde borough.

But councillors representing wards in the south of Blackpool have also raised concerns about the impact on their residents during a full meeting of Blackpool Council.

Coun Carl Mitchell, who represents Squires Gate, said: “It could affect the slipway at the beach and the Blackpool Light Craft Club. Also the cable will go under the runway at the airport.”

Coun Graham Baker, who represents Stanley ward, added: “The cables are going to cross Queensway – are they going to disrupt traffic? People have had enough disruption. I know it’s not Blackpool but have we done a survey on what the impact will be?”

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said “there was a long way to go” with the wind farms project but she said the council would be looking at how the scheme might affect Blackpool.

She said: “We will have a look at how it will impact those facilities at Squires Gate, the network and the airport.”

The F.A.C.T.S. group (Fylde Against Cable Transmission & Substations) is campaigning against the project which it says will impact a 30km corridor including two substations to be built on greenbelt land between Newton, Kirkham and Freckleton. 

A spokesperson said: “This will impact farms, homes and businesses for between six to eight years.  There will be massive increases in HGV traffic on roads throughout the borough together with road closures and traffic controls causing disruption to locals and visitors.”

Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms says the investment is needed “to deliver the electricity generated by the offshore wind farms to the National Grid for onward distribution to UK homes and businesses.”

It said in a previous statement the impact would be kept to a minimum and its “application provides for the safe, effective delivery of this project.”