Public Notice: Morgan Offshore Wind & Morecambe Offshore Windfarm
17th December 2024
MORGAN OFFSHORE WIND LIMITED AND MORECAMBE OFFSHORE WINDFARM LTD SECTION 56 PLANNING ACT 2008
REGULATION 9 INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (APPLICATIONS: PRESCRIBED FORMS AND PROCEDURE) REGULATIONS 2009
REGULATION 16 OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS 2017
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE OF AN APPLICATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER (“DCO”)
Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has accepted an application by Morgan Offshore Wind Limited (“Morgan OWL”) and Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Ltd (“Morecambe OWL”), (together, “the Applicants”), of Chertsey Road, Sunbury On Thames, UK, TW16 7BP and 12 Alva Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH2 4QG, respectively, for a Development Consent Order (“DCO”) to be made under the Planning Act 2008 (“the Application”). The Application was submitted by the Applicants to the Secretary of State, C/O the Planning Inspectorate on 21 October 2024 and was accepted on 18 November 2024. The reference number applied to the Application by the Planning Inspectorate is EN020028.
The Project
The Application is for development consent to construct, operate and maintain, and decommission the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets (hereafter, “the Project”), comprising two electrically separate transmission systems connecting two nationally significant infrastructure projects – the Morgan Offshore Wind Project: Generation Assets and the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm: Generation Assets (together, the “Generation Assets”), in the east Irish Sea, approximately 30 kilometres from the northwest coast of England to the national grid, at Penwortham, Lancashire. Two separate development consent applications have been made in respect of the Generation Assets.
The Project comprises onshore and offshore infrastructure. The offshore elements of the Project are located in the east Irish Sea within English offshore waters (beyond 12 nm from the English coast) and inshore waters (within 12 nm from the English coast). The onshore elements of the Project are located within the local authority areas of Fylde Council, Blackpool Council, South Ribble Borough Council, Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council.
The DCO would authorise the:
• Construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning of the Project, including, but not limited to, the following;
a) The installation of up to six offshore export cable circuits (up to four for Morgan OWL and up to two for Morecambe OWL) to transmit the electricity generated by each of the Generation Assets to the landfall. The offshore export cable corridors follow a generally south-easterly alignment to the proposed landfall at Lytham St. Annes, Fylde;
b) The construction of up to six transition joint bays (up to four for Morgan OWL and up to two for Morecambe OWL) within Blackpool Airport, connecting the offshore export cables to the onshore export cables;
c) The installation of up to six underground onshore export cable circuits (up to four for Morgan OWL and up to two for Morecambe OWL) between the offshore export cables and the two electrically separate onshore substations, connected via the transition joint bays;
d) The construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning of two onshore substations (one for each offshore wind farm). Morgan OWLs to be located between Kirkham and Freckleton, and Morecambe OWLs located to the north of Freckleton) within Fylde;
e) The installation of up to four 400kV underground export cable circuits (up to two for Morgan OWL and up to two for Morecambe OWL) connecting the two electrically separate onshore substations to the National Grid substation at Penwortham, to allow the power to be transferred to the national grid;
f) Works to connect the Project to the National Grid substation at Penwortham; and
g) Environmental mitigation and biodiversity benefit areas.
• The compulsory acquisition of land including rights on, under or over land required for the purposes of the Project and the powers, and other related powers required for the delivery of the Project;
• The application and/or disapplication of legislation relevant to the Project including that relating to the compulsory acquisition of land; and
• Further provisions, permissions or consents as are necessary and/or convenient including four deemed marine licences.
Environmental Impact Assessment – The Project is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development as defined in the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. Consequently, the Applicants have submitted an Environmental Statement as part of the Application. A Non-Technical Summary (“NTS”) of the Environmental Statement is also available.
Viewing the DCO application
All of the DCO application documents, including the application form and all the plans and maps, can be freely viewed online for the full relevant representations period and throughout the examination period. They can be accessed via the Planning Inspectorate’s website (https://national-infrastructure- consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/project-search), by using the search tool to search for ‘Transmission Assets’, before choosing the ‘Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets’ from the list of search options.
You may also access these online versions of the documents free-of-charge at the below locations, from 13 December 2024 until at least the end of the Relevant Representation period of midnight 27 January 2025. Please check directly with the facilities to confirm their opening hours, as well as any bookings or registrations that might be required to access the documents digitally through the computers available at the respective locations.
If you require an alternative method for inspection of the DCO application or have any queries, including how to access the documents on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, please call the Project on 0800 915 2493 (option 3) or email info@morecambeandmorgan.com.
The Applicants can provide any of the documents electronically as required on a USB memory stick (free of charge). To request a USB, please use the Projects’contact details at the bottom of this notice. Provision of hard copies of the full suite of application documents will be subject to a maximum charge of £10,000, plus VAT, to cover printing and delivery costs. For any bespoke document requests, please contact the Project using the contact details at the bottom of the notice to be advised on the costs.
Relevant Representation
Anyone may register as an Interested Party by submitting a Relevant Representation about the Application during the representation period. The Relevant Representation must be made directly to the Planning Inspectorate (effectively giving notice of any interest in the Application).
Any Relevant Representation must be submitted on the required registration form provided by the Planning Inspectorate and must include details of the interested party’s name, address and telephone number, along with a summary of key points laying out the basis on which the representation is being made. Please refer to the Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Note 8.2: How to Register to Participate in an Examination, for more information on this process, it can be found online here: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/legislation-and-advice/advice-notes/advice-note-8-2-how-to-register-to-participate-in-an-examination/.
The Relevant Representation registration form can be accessed online via the Planning Inspectorate’s website: https://national-infrastructureconsenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/project-search, by using the search tool to search for ‘Transmission Assets,’ before choosing the ‘Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets’from the list of search options.
Please contact the Planning Inspectorate directly if you require a hard copy of the registration form by telephoning them on 0303 444 5000 and quoting the name of the Application:‘Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms Transmission Assets’and Planning Inspectorate’s reference number: EN020028. A completed hard copy form can be sent to: The Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, BRISTOL BS1 6PN.
Please note that all representations submitted will be published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website and will be subject to their privacy policy, found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/planning-inspectorate-privacy-notices.
In submitting a representation, it should be noted that personal data relating to such representation will be made publicly available. If you do not wish for any personal data or correspondence to be made publicly available, this should be made clear to the Planning Inspectorate when making the representation. The Planning Inspectorate’s data information and data policy can be found at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/applicationprocess/frequently-asked-questions/gdpr-faq/.
Relevant Representations can be made from 13 December 2024 up to and including midnight on the last day 27 January 2025.
Please quote the Planning Inspectorate’s reference number: EN020028 in all correspondence with the Planning Inspectorate about this Application.
Further information about can be found on the project website: https://morecambeandmorgan.com/transmission/ or by contacting the team at 0800 915 2493 (option 3) or email info@morecambeandmorgan.com.
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