Residents voice offshore wind farm plan opposition

The meeting saw about 100 residents attended the meeting at the Laxey Men's Working Institute

Concerns over the visual impact of proposals for a wind farm off the east coast and the amount of energy to be made available for Isle of Man use have been raised at a public meeting.

A planning application submitted by energy firm Orsted for 87 turbines off Maughold was this week officially accepted by the Council of Ministers.

Most of the 100 people at the meeting organised by the area's local authority to gauge residents' views were opposed to the plans.

Garff Commissioners chairman Stan Ryzak said there were "some good points raised" and the local authority would now go back and discuss the outcome of the meeting, before making its formal submission.

The plans would see 87 wind turbines installed off the east coast of the island

David Dorricott from the Mountain View Innovation Centre said the Mooir Vannin Wind Project proposals would have "a massive impact for us on the Isle of Man".

"Most of the energy is planned to be shipped to the UK and yet we are compromising our visual estate, our sea bed and navigation estate and most especially our tourism industry," he said.

The meeting, which saw local MHKs Daphne Caine and Andrew Smith attend, along with former politicians, also heard concerns that Laxey would "no longer be a seaside destination".

Other concerns were raised about the lack of benefits for residents, including not keeping enough of the energy generated by the turbines, and a "paltry" community fund of £1 million a year to go towards local projects.

The firm has previously said that about 8% of the energy generated would go to the Isle of Man.

The Mooir Vannin Wind Project is proposed to be off the coast of Maughould

One resident said he was in favour because he was "deeply concerned" about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

He said: "There is no perfect solution but we have to take responsibility as a nation and our place internationally to tackle these really important issues of our time."

It was "disappointing" that opponents to the project did not put forward viable solutions.

Meanwhile, another resident said it was "bizarre" that the island was going to allow a Danish company representing the UK grid to build a wind farm in Manx territorial waters.

"I don't believe there is anywhere else in the world where a country has allowed another sovereign state to build such a structure in their territorial waters for all the energy to go to that other state, so that is bizarre to me," he said.

Ryzak said there commissioners had also received a number of emails both in support and against the proposals from people who could not attend the meeting.

In a statement, Orsted said that feedback gathered by the firm through a consultation last summer "allowed us to refine and adapt the proposals put forward in the planning application".

"As the application has now been formally accepted into examination, it would not be appropriate to comment further," the firm added.