Offshore wind consultation

As part of the consultation process the Scottish Government are inviting written responses to the consultation on the Draft Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in Scottish Territorial Waters by 16 August 2010.

A series of stakeholder consultation workshops will be taken forward by Marine Scotland in the coming weeks, to help explain the approach used to develop and assess the plan, and to further explore the environmental and sectoral issues raised in the process.

As well as considering the Draft Plan, consultees are invited to consider the proposals in the light of the environmental information set out in the SEA Environmental Report.

Please send your response to: offshorewindconsultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

or to
Offshore Wind Consultation,
Marine Scotland,
Area 1-A (South)
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Tel: 0131 244 1617

Consultees may wish to focus their responses on the following questions:

1. Does the mapping of exclusion zones, environmental issues, and technical issues provide a reasonable basis for modelling the options?
2. Do you have any further technical or environmental information you think we should take into account as we refine the Draft Plan?
3. Do you consider that the Draft Plan presents a set of practical options?
4. Should any options be removed from the Draft Plan?
5. Are there other options we should consider in the medium or long term?
6. How can the Draft Plan be improved? What should be taken forward differently and why?
7. Do you have views on the scale and pace of development that could be sustainably accommodated in STW, taking into account the findings from the SEA and the technical assessment?
8. Have we got the balance right in the Draft Plan, between tackling climate change, maximising opportunities for economic development and dealing with environmental and commercial impacts?
9. The Plan, once implemented, will be reviewed to take account of actual development and increasing knowledge of development factors. How often should this be done and why?
10. The SEA has identified that there could be significant adverse effects, from the Draft Plan as a whole, on Scotland’s landscapes and seascapes. Measures for the mitigation of these effects have been identified in the SEA environmental report.
1. Do you have a view on these findings? Do you think that the proposed mitigation measures will be effective? Do you have any additional suggestions?
11. Do you have any other views on the findings of the SEA? do you think that all the environmental effects (positive and negative) have been identified? Are there other issues that we should be taking into account in the preparation of the Draft Plan?
12. The Draft Plan has identified environmental and technical issues in the north and north west regions of Scotland, in particular. It may therefore be reasonable to give further consideration to these regions.
1. Do you think that development in these or other regions, or individual options within them, should be given lower priority or perhaps deferred to the longer term?

More general responses are also welcome. Please indicate in your response which questions or part of the Draft Plan or Environmental Report you are responding to as this will aid our analysis of the responses received.

If you have any queries on the content of the Draft Plan or its SEA Environmental Report, or the consultation process more generally please contact the offshore wind consultation inbox at the address above.

Category: Scottish Government News