East Suffolk Council
Five Estuaries Offshore Windfarm
Five Estuaries is the proposed extension to the existing £1.5 billion, 353MW Galloper Offshore Wind Farm located in the southern North Sea. The Five Estuaries project will comprise a number of wind turbines in addition to offshore and onshore electrical infrastructure. A grid connection for this project is due to link into the proposed East Anglia Green substation within the Tendring District, Essex.
In February 2017, The Crown Estate launched an opportunity for existing wind farms to apply for project extensions. This opportunity closed in May 2018, with eight project applications received UK-wide including Galloper. In August 2019, The Crown Estate announced the conclusion of the Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA), confirming that seven of the eight extension application projects, representing a total generating capacity of 2.85GW, would progress to the award of development rights. This included the Galloper Wind Farm Extension which was named Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm.
Five Estuaries is currently in the development phase. A first stage of consultation was held in summer 2022 and further consultation is anticipated in early 2023, with the view to submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) in late 2023. If consented, once built the wind farm would generate much needed energy to support the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy targets of 50GW offshore wind installed by 2030.
| Five Estuaries Windfarm location |
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Scoping
A Scoping Report for the Five Estuaries project was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on 4 October 2021. This provides information about the wind farm, including its location; its nature and purpose; and the proposed approach to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.
A Scoping Opinion was provided in response by The Planning Inspectorate to Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm Ltd on the 12 November 2021.
The developer has produced a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) Screening Report to inform the HRA process for the project. The developer invited feedback through a consultation held between 18 October to 24 November 2021 and East Suffolk Council responded on 16 November 2021.
Non-statutory consultation - 30 June to 12 August 2022
Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm consulted on their early proposals for the project from June to August 2022. The consultation was to introduce the project, focusing on the onshore scoping area for the project within the district of Tendring, Essex. This primarily sought feedback on the proposed substation site and cable connection routes which are due to be located between Little Clacton and Lawford.
- Information presented at this first stage of consultation
- East Suffolk Council’s response to the non-statutory consultation
Five Estuaries has published a Stage 1 Feedback Report which summarises the issues raised from feedback and their initial responses and consideration.
Statutory consultation
Since the first stage of consultation closed, Five Estuaries has been analysing and considering feedback to develop the project further.
The statutory consultation for the Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm project was held 14 March to 12 May 2023 setting out more detailed proposals and the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR).
- More information about Five Estuaries from the developer’s website East Suffolk Council’s response is provided below in accordance with Section 42 of the Planning Act 2008 (‘the Act’) and Regulations 11 and 13 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (‘the 2017 Regulations’).
- ESC’s final response letter to Five Estuaries Statutory Consultation
- Response letter Annex A -Suffolk Seascape Sensitivity to Offshore Wind Farms – Update Addendum (White Consultants, June 2023)
- Response letter Annex B – Comparison of Seascape and Visual Impact Assessment Methodologies (White Consultants, June 2023)
- East Suffolk Council’s response letter to Five Estuaries Stage 3 Targeted Habitats Consultation December 2023 to January 2024 - This letter provides ESC’s response to the project’s proposed habitat improvement measures for Lesser Black-Backed Gulls (LBBG) around Orford Ness in East Suffolk. We understand that in order to compensate for the anticipated potential impacts on LBBG, Five Estuaries are proposing habitat improvements within or close to the Alde-Ore Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA), and that the scope of the LBBG compensatory site proposals is limited to predator-proof fencing (approximately 2m high) with habitat management and maintenance. The proposal for LBBG compensation is associated with the Alde-Ore Estuary SPA, noting that LBBGs are a qualifying feature of this European designated site. Where a protected site may be adversely affected, and that effect cannot be avoided, the Habitats Regulations require that the impacts are compensated for or offset by measures such as improving habitat and breeding success for those bird species affected.
Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm - Development Consent Order (DCO) Examination
ESC’s Relevant Representation (RR)
On 22nd April 2024, the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (c/o the Planning Inspectorate) accepted the application for the Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm project for a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008. East Suffolk Council (ESC) registered as an Interested Party by submitting a Relevant Representation to the Planning Inspectorate by the closing deadline of 21st June 2024. A copy of ESC’s submission is available below:
ESC’s Local Impact Report (LIR)
East Suffolk Council (ESC) acknowledged the Examining Authority’s (ExA) Rule 8 letter dated 25th September 2024, requesting a Local Impact Report (LIR) from Local Authorities defined in section 56A of the Planning Act 2008, by Deadline 2 (22nd October 2024). A copy of ESC’s submission is available below: