Engaging with the local community to ensure Whitecross success

October 2022 

As the design of the White Cross offshore wind farm continues to progress, our project team remains committed to ensuring our key stakeholders, and the local community are kept up to date on progress at all times.

Supported by Whitecross consultants Royal Haskoning DHV and Brown and May Marine, we recently hosted two walk-in public consultation events in Instow and Braunton to enable local community groups and individuals the opportunity to ask questions and discuss all aspects of the project. We also held an online virtual exhibition in October too, for those who could not make it in person.

The events were well attended, and we enjoyed discussing the project with members of the local community, some of whom had also attended the previous engagement sessions in July. It was great to hear support for green projects and the need for renewable energy, and also address some of the important questions people have around the environment, both on land and at sea, and what’s involved in managing and mitigating impact.

Themes also high on the agenda were: employment opportunities, education, skills development and engaging a local workforce to underpin the project. People were also keen to hear how we will ensure that the benefits of the project are received and realised within the local area too.

If you missed the events and have questions you’d like to ask us, please visit: White Cross Offshore Wind – The future of renewable energy, where the virtual exhibition remains open and views and opinions can be shared via feedback forms.

In addition to the walk-in community events, we also held additional meetings with other stakeholders and interested parties in the area. We delivered Coastwise North Devon’s first in-person presentation since COVID-19 where we were pleased to hear strong support for Whitecross, and also listened to the group’s comments and questions on how we ensure that the development progresses in the most environmentally sensitive way, to protect the important local ecology.

The team also met with the Director of Higher Education at Petroc to discuss opportunities to support the development of skills needed to service the new floating offshore wind sector in the North Devon area. Look out for further updates on this topic soon.

Local MP Selaine Saxby, who is also Chair of the Celtic Sea All Party Parliamentary Group, was able to up with us at one of the exhibitions to talk through the project in more detail and discuss key strategic topics including those associated with connecting to the National Grid.

The project will be hosting further public walk-in consultations in Spring 2023. We look forward to seeing you there!

The team at the public event at Braunton Parish Hall