Longton landowners being traced by windfarm energy giants over huge cabling plans

Owners of land in Longton are being traced by the company behind the planned offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea – because huge cables could be dug underneath.

>>>READ MORE here about plans for windfarms off the Lancashire coast.

Notices have been placed around the village asking people with an interest in patches of land between Back Lane and Longton Brook to contact the company regarding ownership.

What’s the background?

There are proposals for two windfarms in the Irish Sea - a 480 MW capacity wind tourbine scheme by Offshore Wind Limited to be constructed west of Blackpool and south west of Morecambe Bay, and a 1,500 MW scheme by a consortium of EnBW and BP, off the coast of Barrow-In-Furness, west of Morecambe Bay.

In July the National Grid announced that its substation in Howick Cross Lane, Penwortham, will be expanded and upgraded to store and distribute the power generated by these windfarms on the Lancashire coast.

Details on how power is taken onshore to Penwortham are still being considered - and are likely to go out to public consultation – but this is the first indication of what path any cables or pylons could take.

National Grid say there no new information from their side about transmission network upgrades, but in July they said any cables or pylons used will be designed so they do not disrupt the Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve or the tidal marsh environment.

What do the posters say?

In a poster placed in Back Lane, Longton, Morgan Offshore Wind Ltd and Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Ltd state: "The projects' transmisson assets will include both onshore and offshore infrastructure including export cables to landfall and onto onshore substations, and connections to the electricity transmission network."

The work may affect areas highlighted on the map and the energy companies have been unable to identify all ownership and/or rights over the land and sub soil areas.

What to do if you’re affected

The energy companies want to hear from people who have the power to sell, convey or release the land in question, or who could have grounds for compensation as a result of the construction, maintainence, or decomissioning of the projects.

Contact Dalcour Maclaren and quote reference 22003214_

Telephone: 01869 352725.

Email: morcambeandmorgan@dalcourmaclaren.com