E.ON withdraws Rampion 665MW plan after two weeks

The development application for the Rampion wind farm was submitted to the major infrastructure unit of the Planning Inspectorate on 14 December 2012. The project would consist of up to 185 turbines.

However, according toWindpower Monthly sister-title PlanningResource, a letter sent by E.ON to the Inspectorate dated 2 January 2013 said it wished to temporarily withdraw the application.

The letter said that following the submission it had emerged that there were "certain omissions in respect of the Section 42 Consultation element of the application".

Section 42 of the Planning Act 2008 places a duty on the promoter of major infrastructure projects to consult interested parties.

The letter added: "Having reviewed the situation and taken advice on the materiality of these omissions in conjunction with discussions with the project team has had with (the Planning Inspectorate), E.ON has fully committed to address these points prior to the secretary of state making his decision on whether to accept the application for examination".

In December, E.ON announced it was reducing the number of turbines at the site after concerns raised by the public consultation. This included a change to the project's layout following talks with surfing group Surfers against Sewage.

A spokeswoman for E.ON said: "We want the application to be complete before the Planning Inspectorate decides whether to accept it and the only way to do this is to withdraw it and resubmit again as soon as we are ready.
 
"We remain completely committed to the project, but wish to take extra time now to maintain our comprehensive approach to consultation."

E.ON said the wind farm could comprise between 100 and 195 turbines, depending on the model used. Installed capacity would be up to 700MW, which it estimates could generate enough electricity to supply around 450,000 homes.