Greystones Wind Farms are excessive, a 10 Km gap is needed
A letter to the Codling Wind Farm
Summary
The 2 wind farms meeting off Greystones, Codling & Dublin Array, will have a serious adverse visual impact on Greystones and on Bray Head an SAC & SAAO. The plan is for 33km of turbines, close to the coast, 25% taller than Bray Head, the tallest object on the East Coast of Ireland. This is an unacceptable visual imposition, the worst in Ireland and of 29 examined in the UK only 2 are worse and they were both very early ones.
The solution is to have 10km gap between the wind farms per the attached map. This would allow 85% of the power to be generated soon and reduce the visual imposition. It would still be the worst in Ireland with 75 degrees arc of view. The displaced turbines could be built further offshore at a later stage but national targets for renewable energy could be reached.
The gap should start just North of Bray Head, on a line due East, and go South for 10km.
Detail
Dublin Array & Codling wind farms plan to meet off Greystones, it will be ‘wind farm central’. The turbines, taller than the local landmark, Bray Head, will occupy most of the sea horizon, 114 degrees arc of view. This is a much greater visual impact than any other place as detailed in the spreadsheets attached. The Visual Impact Score (VIS) of 6.6 being higher than any proposed in Ireland and almost any in the UK.
The visual impact documentation of 2005 and for foreshore licence application 6463 of 2009 and 7029 of 2019 describes the impact of the smaller (160m) turbines as having a significant effect on Greystones Harbour, as ‘adverse moderate’ from Dublin Arrays 62 degrees. The effect on the Cliff Walk is ‘adverse major’. The combined effect of both schemes on Greystones is ‘significant’ even though the Codling was then a much smaller scheme with a 25 degree arc of view, now expanded to 47 degrees.
I mentioned this point when Codling presented to Wicklow County Council and you mentioned that Rampion was a good example of wind farms meeting. However that case proves my point. The Rampion windfarm is nearshore and relevant, off Brighton, a similar socio-economic area, The Rampion 1 windfarm is older with smaller turbines with an Arc of View of 50 degrees from Brighton. There has been major controversy with plans for Rampion 2 with larger turbines which will wrap around the first one. This was to have an Arc of View of 80 degrees but following major rows has been reduced to 65 degrees reducing the visual effect. No other turbines will be visible from there. This is a lot less than what you are planning, 114 degrees. Even with a 10km gap the angle will be 75 degrees!
There are no visual guidelines in Ireland. The 2020 Visual Assessment Report by the UK Government.
Download White Consultants 2020 Seascape and visual buffer study for offshore wind farms
S13.79 ‘However for windfarms proposed closer to the coast it will be important to take design into account in terms of space between different developments, and the relationship between turbine sizes and arrangements in related/intervisible arrays’
The above assessment has not been done for Dublin Array & Codling.
Other Issues.
The town should be involved by providing an Interpretive Centre (possibly with the other windfarm), having some crew transfer boats use the harbour & subsidised trips to see construction; I mentioned these in letters in 2020 and showed you a very suitable building, with sight of the area, for an Interpretive Centre. Also information boards in Kilcoole & Newcastle. I also visited the Rampion Visitors Centre in Brighton, which is separate from the base and in a similar socio-economic area, However you have not agreed to any of this in the 4 years since.
There is to be a substantial Benefit Fund but as I understand no Rates are payable. Land based power stations pay substantial Rates which provide for local services.
You need to do much more so the town feels connected & involved with this visually intrusive project via jobs, information, tourism, boat movements & trade.
