Almost 300 people attended the public consultation events held at six locations along the proposed cable route of the development and 75 per cent of those who filled in exit questionnaires were supportive of the plans presented.
Written responses were received from statutory consultees such as government departments and agencies, non-governmental organisations and trade associations on topics from coastal erosion, construction traffic and tourism to birds and employment opportunities.
Throughout June and July the responses were carefully reviewed and comments considered and incorporated where possible as the Forewind team finalised the development consent order application which ran to 15,177 pages and included the Environmental Statement, Habitats Regulations Assessment Report, Application Plans, Consultation Report and Appendices. The final development consent order application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in August 2013 and accepted for examination the following month.
Also in September, Forewind’s second of two planned meteorological masts was erected at Dogger Bank, 150 kilometres from the UK coast, using the innovative suction installed Bucket Foundation and a ‘human free’ technique for the steel tower placement. Like the first mast installed earlier in 2013, this one – Dogger Bank Met Mast West – will provide essential wind, wave and other weather information, as well as marine traffic data. Installed utilising the newly built 132m jack-up vessel Brave Tern, the operation was completed smoothly and without any accidents or injuries.
In October 2013, the final offshore survey, marking the end of an extensive four-year campaign, was completed, although additional onshore surveys have continued, for example at the landfall site of the Dogger Bank Teesside projects. The year 2013 ended with the consultation for Dogger Bank Teesside A&B, where around 100 people attended three events and provided valuable feedback, which was incorporated into the proposals along with input from statutory stakeholders. The development consent order was finalised over the first three months of 2014 and submitted on March 28, then accepted by the Planning Inspectorate in April.
Forewind now has 4.8GW of offshore wind capacity in the planning system.
“The submission and subsequent acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate of Dogger Bank Teesside A&B application, ahead of programme, is a significant milestone for Forewind and a result of the positive collaboration between the four project partners, our suppliers and contractors, and due to meaningful and on-going engagement with our stakeholders,” said Andy Guyton, Consents Manager, Dogger Bank Teesside A&B .