Beach could close for years for wind farm work

Councillor Gerard Walsh said he hopes any disruption at Starr Gate "will be kept to a minimum"

A popular Lancashire beach faces disruption for up to three years while work gets under way to bring a wind farm cable ashore.

The Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms scheme is set to see the cable come ashore near Starr Gate beach in Blackpool, which is regularly used by dog walkers and residents.

Developers have pledged to maintain public access "as far as possible".

Squires Gate ward councillor Gerard Walsh said he hoped any disruption at Starr Gate "will be kept to a minimum".

A Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms Transmission Assets spokesperson said the project could generate enough electricity to power "the equivalent of about two million UK homes every year and make an important contribution to the UK's renewable energy targets".

However, they added projects of this scale and importance "can't be delivered without potential impacts but we have sought to avoid and minimise these".

They said it was "committed to ensuring public access to the beach as far as possible".

Mr Walsh said he hoped "once the cable has been laid in a specific area then that area will be opened back up again, so any disruption at Starr Gate will be kept to a minimum".

The proposed development involves two planned wind farms in the Irish Sea, around 22 miles off the Lancashire coast.

It would see undersea cables landing at Starr Gate beach, near Blackpool Airport, and running around 10 miles underground to two substations between Kirkham and Newton.

Campaigners against the scheme claim it would scar the land and cause extreme disruption while Fylde Council has also voiced concerns over the potential visual and agricultural impact and disturbance during construction.

The Planning Inspectorate is currently examining the project before a recommendation is given to the Secretary of State, who then has three months to issue a decision.