Awel y Môr Proposed Wind Farm Update: Second Online Exhibition and Consultation, September-October 2021

The second online exhibition and consultation about the proposed Awel y Môr Offshore Windfarm off the North Wales coast is taking place throughout September and will extend to the 11th October 2021.  This is an opportunity for you to formally register your views about the project.

The exhibition and consultation are available to anyone interested in the project. You can access them at the project website, awelymor.cymru, and also at public libraries along the coast between Prestatyn and Beaumaris. 

This update provides a brief summary of the key aspects of this consultation relating to commercial fishing and charter angling in the area and information about how you can get involved.

Online Exhibition and Consultation

The second online exhibition for the Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm started on 31st August 2021 and is due to end on 11th October 2021.

This consultation is your opportunity to find out more about the project, as well as to comment on and shape the proposals for the windfarm before the applications for development consents are submitted next year.  The exhibition is accompanied by background documents and a questionnaire, which are briefly summarised below.

Background documents

A list of background documents is provided on the awelymor.cymru project website under the “Consultation: Useful Links” menu.  This includes all of the sections of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (“PEIR”);  a Non-Technical Summary of this document; Public Notices about the consulation, and also a Statement of Community Consultation.

The PEIR document covers a very wide range of topics.  You can see the entire list here.  The key sections of relevance to commercial fishing and charter angling are listed below.

  • Non-Technical Summary (here);
  • Commercial Fisheries
    • PEIR Chapter (here); and
    • Commercial Fishing Baseline Report (here).
  • Charter Angling
    • Other Marine Users and Activities (recreational and charter angling is covered in this chapter from page 57 onwards) (here); and
    • Charter Angling Baseline Report (here).

Please note that all of these documents are PDFs and they are lengthy (the shortest is 35 pages), with a correspondingly large file size.

If you don’t have access to a suitable computer to view these documents or would prefer to read hard copies of them, the Awel y Môr project team have made the documents accessible at the public libraries in Prestatyn, Rhyl, Rhuddlan, St Asaph, Holywell, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Bangor, Menai Bridge and Beaumaris.  If you contact your local library they will organise access to these documents for you up until the end of the consultation period on 11th October 2021.  Contact details for each library are provided in the most recent project newsletter here.

Questionnaire

A questionnaire seeking feedback on the PEIR and the wind farm proposal is available on the awelymor.cymru project website under the “Exhibition” menu.  This questionnaire covers the following aspects of the project:-

  • Onshore cable route & infrastructure
    • Landfall working area
    • Onshore Export Cable Corridor
    • Temporary Construction Compounds (TCCs)
    • Substation zone and access
    • Predicted onshore environmental impacts and mitigation measures
  • Offshore cable route & infrastructure
    • Offshore wind turbine Array
    • Offshore Export Cable Corridor
    • Predicted offshore environmental impacts and mitigation measures
  • The project overall

The project team are very keen to hear from people with an interest in the proposed windfarm and will consider all feedback to shape the project plans and seek to secure the best outcome for the area.

Face to face events

The Awel y Môr project team are holding local (outdoor) consultations in the  area over the coming days.  The current schedule for these meetings is set out below:-

  • Monday 27 September, 10AM-6PM: Vicarage Lane car park (Rhuddlan)
  • Wednesday 29 September, 10AM-1.30PM: Pensarn beach car park (Morning only)
  • Wednesday 29 September, 2.30PM-6PM: Colwyn Bay promenade (Afternoon only)
  • Thursday 30 September, 10AM-6PM: Llanfairfechan promenade car park
  • Friday 1 October, 10AM-6PM: Llandudno promenade (North Shore)
  • Saturday 2 October, 10AM-6PM: Bangor (TBC – check here for details)
  • Sunday 3 October, 10AM-6PM: Beaumaris (TBC – check here for details)

Please feel free to drop in to any of these venues to meet the team and put your views to them.

The exhibition and questionnaire will remain open at awelymor.cymru until the 11th October 2021. 

Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm

Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm is a project being developed by RWE to the west of the existing Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm. It is located approximately 10.5km off the North Wales coast in the Irish Sea, with a maximum total area of 88km².  The project is still in the early stages of planning and consultation.

Project Newsletter: Summer 2021

The most recent project newsletter can be accessed here.  The newsletter provides details about the online exhibition and consultation that is underway in September and October 2021 and which is described above. An archive of previous newsletters is available on the project website here.

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