FEATURE SPONSOR
SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH EAST COAST AT SEA
Dave Watson is an RSK Director and the Marine Team Leader. Rampion’s marine issues are mainly underwater noise-related and mostly caused by potential piling, he says. A ‘soft-start’ piling policy is effective in discouraging and allowing marine mammals to move away. Other animals are less mobile. But there are potential mitigation methods, he explains. “Some species move inshore to feed in summer but go to deeper offshore waters in winter to avoid storm waves. Piling programmes could be adjusted accordingly. Fish breeding seasons will also be considered and work is on-going to determine the likely length of such seasons.”
COMMITMENT E.on is also committed to carrying out fish surveys before sub-sea cable laying begins – this will help to identify mitigating measure ensuring no disturbance to black bream spawning areas.
VISUAL IMPACT
“Visual impact is also a concern,” Dave adds. “In response, E.ON has reduced the number of turbines and the extent of the project boundary to reduce the extent of the field of view from the Heritage Coast.”
Offshore survey work managed by RSK includes fish trawls, benthic grab-sample surveys and photographic habitat surveys.
ONSHORE
Onshore, residents’ concerns centre on construction and traffic, landscaping and noise impacts from the proposed 26.4 km-long onshore cable route, plus impacts resulting from the new sub-station.
Katie Barlow is RSK’s Rampion Onshore Project Manager. “A key issue is a 1.7 km long section of the route passing through chalk grasslands near Tottington Mount. The project has designed a construction methodology that will cut the usual 30 metre width of land needed down to 21 metres, and even 12 metres in specific places,” she explains.
“We are also working with Kew Gardens on seed harvesting. Mitigation of four sections of the cable route involves seed collections in 2013 and 2014, with the seeds to be re-sown above the laid cable.”
TOTTINGTON MOUNT CROSS DYKE “The route also crosses the Tottington Mount Cross dyke scheduled monument where we have again proposed a reduced width solution to English Heritage. Advanced excavation will also allow us to provide new archaeological information.” explains Katie.
Tree and shrub planting plans and landscaping measures have also been drawn up for the new sub-station site.
Despite the sheer size of the EIA, it is anticipated that Rampion can be delivered using tried and tested mitigation techniques that sets a positive precedent for other large-scale developments of the type involved in Round 3.
RSK
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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