Deleterious Effect on Businesses

All the objections relating to the deleterious effects on businesses came from organisations or individuals working in the marine environment. The majority of them

118 | P a g e were fishermen, or associations working on behalf of fishermen, but also representing were boat charter companies and fisheries.

Starting with the objections from fishermen and their associations, there appear to be a general concern that fishing activities will be disrupted by this development. One representative who has been fishing in the area for 25 years, explains that ‘The inner Gabbard Wind farm has already disrupted my fishing activities over the past 2 years and continues to do so’, so there is a fear based on existing experience of wind farms in the area, perhaps explaining the strong objections by these fishermen to the development. This same representation explains further that he is ‘very concerned because it has affected my income over the past 2 years and this development can only decrease it by more. As a fisherman I am restricted to quotas and days at sea so to maintain these fishing grounds is very important to me’. Supporting this, another representation explains that ‘the proposed sites for this wind farm will take away very important fishing grounds from us. Grounds that we have fished for the last 40 or so years’. This representative also appears to be making objections based on previous experiences as they explain the contractors ‘virtually bullied us off the site by imposing what we believe to be an illegal exclusion site around the whole site’. They believe that ‘the cumulative effect of yet more wind farms is yet another nail in the coffin of the local industry, and will lead to more jobs being lost and a long tradition of East Anglian fishing being further jeopardised’. The representation also make specific accusations towards the developers of this project by stating that he is opposed to this project and that ‘I feel that this company have shown far less regard for the local fishing industry than other wind farm operators and have used their muscle to ride roughshod over us’.

In addition to the concerns of these local fishermen, representations have been made on behalf of French, Belgium, and Dutch fishermen. One representation from a French fishing association explained that they ‘have some concerns about the consequences of the implementation of this new wind farm: during the construction of the wind farm and during the exploitation, with a loss of fishing grounds’. Another representation from a British fishermen explained the problems associate with displacing foreign fishing activities, ‘it will displace large beam trawlers from Belgium and Holland, which may then concentrate their efforts in other areas, thus making it very difficult to work with fixed gear such as pots, long lines & nets, without them being towed away by the trawlers’. This highlights that these developments have the potential to affect a larger audience than just the UK fishermen.

119 | P a g e Another concern highlighted by the fishermen relate to the cable route, with more than one representation highlighting adverse effects. One representation explains that ‘past experiences have shown the cable routes have become unfishable when we have been assured that all areas will be returned to their original state’ with another describing the cables from Outer Gabbard Bank which ‘lie exposed’. A third representation believes that ‘there is also insufficient knowledge about the influence of cable passages on travel patterns of fish’. This therefore shows that it is not just the wind turbines that are of concern to the fishermen, the associated works could also disturb fishing practices.

In addition to the commercial fishermen, concerns were raised by boat charter companies. One representation explained that their concerns related to ‘the potential ecological effects on the marine environment’. They further explain that they have ‘grave concerns for my business should the proposal be given planning permission as It will effectively wipe out my ability to trade for the duration of the construction period and potentially lead to my established client base finding alternative areas to fish for the future leaving me high and dry’. This representation also refers to previous wind farms in the area explaining that ‘the construction of the Greater Gabbard Farm has already greatly restricted activity closer to home and the signs are that tidal flows have been adversely affected by the installations of the monopoles’. Another representation shows supports for these concerns stating that ‘the proposed extension of the Galloper wind farm will adversely affect my business as a charter boat skipper as a lot of our fishing is conducted within the extended area’.

You can see from these representations that there are various fears relating to business and people’s livelihoods. One representation that perhaps sums up the fears and the best course of action is this representation which states ‘ the wind farm is being planned in an area which is a rich harvesting ground for our fleets. Our fleets target the high priced flatfish species such as sole, plaice, turbot, brill and lemon sole’, ‘we would like to communicate on these issues directly with the developer’.