The Lincolnshire County Council has written to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to express its serious concerns about the development of the onshore electrical infrastructure needed for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.
The council has questioned the wisdom of determining the planning applications for the onshore and offshore parts of the development separately. It has also criticised the way in which the developer RWE has dealt with local concerns throughout the process.
Councillor Colin Davie, executive member for planning , said: “The experts agree that it makes no sense to approve an offshore development without first having approval for the onshore elements. Decoupling two parts of a scheme in this way results in great uncertainty for affected residents.
“We’ve also highlighted RWE’s lacklustre approach to local consultation, characterised by incomplete information and the inability to justify its selection of substation sites when reasonable alternatives are available.
“This makes it impossible for the council to engage with RWE on an equal footing as it is disadvantaged by a lack of timely and transparent information.
“I hope the Secretary for State will consider the points we’ve raised and take appropriate action to ensure that RWE improves the way in which it deals with Lincolnshire people.”