Campaigners plan legal action in bid to halt expansion of Sussex wind farm

The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm – which will see a further 90 turbines erected near a 116-turbine site – was given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband earlier this month.

Undersea cables are planned to bring the power to shore under Climping Beach and an underground cable route will take the power to a new substation at Oakendene near Cowfold, before connecting into the transmission network at Bolney.

But campaigners opposing the wind farm expansion have described the decision as ‘madness’ and say: “This isn’t green energy; it’s an ecological disaster waiting to happen.”

The campaign group CowfoldvRampion add: “Our wildlife and habitats form a crucial part of the fight against climate change; any green energy proposals must tread as lightly as possible on Nature, or we will have no wildlife left to protect from climate change.”

They say fields at Cowfold on the cable route have been classified by Natural England “Priority Habitat Lowland Meadow, one of the most at-risk habitats in the English countryside.

“The choice of Oakendene for the 12-acre substation, involves not only the destruction of these meadows, but the loss of around 114 mature oaks, many of which are hundreds of years old – some veteran or near veteran – and over 650m of ancient hedge, and all are home to a wide variety of our most critically endangered species. It also represents a massive loss of carbon storage.

“If the Government is serious about its commitment to protect Nature, it would have been such an easy win for Nature to move the onshore substation to the far less ecologically sensitive site which was under consideration.”

The campaigners have now joined forces with the Protect Coastal Sussex group and are seeking legal advice aimed at obtaining a Judicial Review of the decision.

However, a spokesperson for Rampion 2 said: “The Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm was awarded consent by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, after an extensive Examination where these issues were thoroughly explored.

“Over the past four years, we refined and adapted the proposals, listening to community and expert input, and our goal throughout has been to create the best possible project for this site for the community, wildlife and the environment.

“Once built, Rampion 2 could power the equivalent of over one million homes and reduce carbon emissions by around 1.8 million tonnes per year. Put another way, Rampion 2 could generate the equivalent of around three-quarters of all the electricity demands for the whole of Sussex and, combined with the operating Rampion Wind Farm, could power the entire electricity demand for Sussex.”