Colchester, Essex - Hearings for Offshore Wind Farm Consent

NOTICE OF OPEN FLOOR HEARING, ISSUE SPECIFIC HEARINGS AND COMPULSORY ACQUISITION HEARING

FIVE ESTUARIES OFFSHORE WIND FARM PROJECT

PLANNING INSPECTORATE REFERENCE NUMBER: EN010115

Sections 91, 92 and 93 of the Planning Act 2008

Rule 13(6) Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010

Notice is hereby given that, at the dates, times and location set out below, the following Hearings will be held by the Examining Authority (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero) in respect of the application by Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm Limited ("the Applicant") (registered office at Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon, SN5 6PB) for a Development Consent Order under sections 14, 15 and 37 of the Planning Act 2008 ("the Act"). The Application (Planning Inspectorate reference number: EN010115) was submitted by the Applicant to the Secretary of State c/o the Planning Inspectorate on 26 March 2024 and accepted on 23 April 2024. The Examining Authority was appointed on 7 June 2024 to examine the Application.

The Hearings will be blended events (i.e., attendance can be in person or online via any standard internet browser). Full instructions on how to join online or by telephone will be provided in advance to those who have pre-registered.

Note regarding Open Floor Hearing 1 (OFH1): Following the acceptance of the Change Request, additional Interested Parties are entitled to make requests to be heard at an Open Floor Hearing by registering using the online Event Participation Form (please see below). No requests to attend OFH1 by those additional Interested Parties be received by 13 January 2025 will not be held. Interested Parties who were registered on or before 21 June 2024 are not entitled to make a request to be heard at OFH1.

Note Issue Specific Hearing 5 (ISH5): Due to additional Interested Parties being registered after the holding of ISH1 to 4, under the provisions of Regulation 14(2) it is necessary for the Examining Authority to make arrangements for another Issue Specific Hearing (ISH5) to be held, in effect reconvening ISH1 to ISH4 (inclusive). Interested Parties and Affected Persons who participated in ISH1 to ISH4 should not feel compelled to attend ISH5.

You must register by completing the online Event Participation Form https://forms.office.com/e/8m1VBURUAS by 13 January 2025 if you intend to participate in the Hearings and provide all the information requested (see below).

If you simply wish to observe the Hearings then you do not need to register as you will be able to either:

1. watch a livestream of the event - a link to the livestream will be made available on the project webpage shortly before the event is scheduled to begin; and/or

2. watch the recording of the event which will be published on the project webpage shortly after the event has finished.

Alternatively, you can attend the physical event at the venue to observe the proceedings; however, to ensure there is adequate seating capacity at the venue we request that you register your attendance to observe only by 13 January 2025 using the Event Participation Form on the project website. Please note that it may not be possible to participate on the day if you have not registered your wish to speak by 13 January 2025.

At each Hearing interested parties are entitled (subject to the Examining Authority’s powers of control over the conduct of the Hearing) to make oral representations about the particular issue to be considered. Interested parties include any person that has made a relevant representation to the Examining Authority in accordance with Section 102(4) of the Planning Act 2008, as well as the Applicant, and various persons and bodies prescribed by statute.

Should the consideration of the issues take less time than anticipated, the Hearing may be concluded as soon as all relevant contributions have been made and all questions asked and responded to. If there are additional matters to be dealt with or there are submissions that take a considerable amount of time at any Hearing then it may be necessary to continue the session for longer on the day or adjourn the hearing and continue at a subsequent sitting.

If you require assistance with registering your attendance, please contact the Planning Inspectorate at FiveEstuaries@planninginspectorate.gov.uk or by calling 0303 444 5000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm).

The Examination timetable is available to view in the Rule 8 Letter on the Documents page of the Infrastructure Planning website:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010115/documents

Any further hearings will be publicised as required by the Examining Authority and by the Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010.

Summary of the Project

The Application is for development consent to construct, operate, maintain, and decommission an offshore wind farm known as the Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm ("the Project"), and the associated development to connect the offshore wind farm to the national grid. The Project is a proposed extension to the operational Galloper Offshore Wind Farm situated off the coast of Suffolk.

The Project includes provision for the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of an offshore wind farm located approximately 37 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk at its closest point in the southern North Sea, including up to 79 wind turbine generators and associated infrastructure making landfall at Sandy Point between Frinton-on-Sea and Holland-on-Sea in Essex, the installation of underground cables, and the construction of an electrical substation and associated infrastructure to the west of Little Clacton. It would connect to National Grid’s proposed East Anglia Connection Node substation. The Project includes provisions for the installation of additional ducts to be utilised by a separate project with a similar proposed landfall and connection point. The Project also includes provision for the construction, operation, maintenance, and removal of habitat improvements measures for lesser black-backed gulls at a site on Orford Ness in East Suffolk.

Maps showing the onshore and offshore locations of the wind farm and associated infrastructure form part of the Application (examination library references AS-017 for the onshore location plan and AS-018 for the offshore location plan), which can be viewed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website under the documents tab: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010115

As the proposed wind farm will have a generating capacity in excess of 100MW, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) pursuant to sections 14(1)(a) and 15(3) of the Act. Development consent is therefore required for the Project.

The Development Consent Order would, if granted, authorise the compulsory acquisition of land, interests in land and rights over land, and the powers to use land permanently and temporarily. The Development Consent Order would also authorise alterations to the public highway network, the construction of temporary construction and permanent access routes, the temporary stopping up and / or management of the public highway, public rights of way and street works, and the application and / or disapplication of legislation.

Application form and accompanying documents

The application form and the accompanying documents, plans and Environmental Statement (including Non-Technical Summary) can be viewed and downloaded free of charge on the Project’s page of the Planning Inspectorate’s website under the ‘Documents’ tab:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010115

The documents will be available online throughout the pre-examination and examination process. To find out more about the Project, you can visit the Applicant’s website at www.fivestarses.co.uk.

Copies of the Application form and the accompanying documents, plans and maps, including the Environmental Statement, can be provided by the Applicant by using the contact details below. A charge of up to £10,000 may be made for providing paper copies.

You can contact the Applicant directly with questions about the Project using the contact information below:

Email: fivestarses@rwe.com

Telephone: 0333 880 5306

30 December 2024