2008, Mistral PR, Westermost Rough Offshore Wind Farm, Statement of Community Involvement

Description

This project examines the public participation work undertaken by Mistral on behalf of Dong Energy in relation to the proposed offshore wind farm at Westermost Rough. As part of the procedure surrounding the development of offshore wind farms, the developer is required to hold public exhibitions regarding the proposed development. DONG Energy intended that the public exhibition serve as a learning process for gauging the feeling of the local communities to its proposals for the wind farm development. The exhibition consisted of seven panels which presented the proposed plans in as much detail as possible. This included background information on DONG Energy, general information about offshore wind development and the site selection process, details of the project, the grid connection process and the likely timetable of the project. Three exhibition dates were arranged during June 2008 at times and locations convenient to the general public. Feedback from the general public was collected with a questionnaire to allow for the general reaction of the project to be gauged. Attendance at the exhibitions was strong with a total of 227 visitors over the three venues. In total, 141 people filled out questionnaires. Those in attendance showed considerable interest in the proposals, with many engaging fully and asking detailed questions of the project team, and offering constructive comments. The main opposition seemed to come from fishermen, who have concerns over the effect of the proposed project on their livelihood. The DONG Energy project team was able to answer many of the concerns and offer detailed explanations for most of the queries. An overwhelming majority of the attendees found the exhibition to be informative, and a strong majority (69%) were in favour of the Westermost Rough plans.