The project
A major offshore wind development comprising three offshore windfarms, with a total of 276 turbines off the Norfolk coast.
Once operational, this will be one of the biggest wind clusters in the world, producing enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than four million UK households.
Our role
B&P first became involved in the Norfolk project in 2018, initially appointed to lead the land assembly campaign for the onshore converter station and substation and subsequently for the installation of the onshore transmission cables Over the 60km route from landfall to substation
Scope grew rapidly to include a range of services drawing on our team’s technical expertise and stakeholder engagement skills, building on in depth knowledge of the project. Our role on the ground will continue throughout both the construction and reinstatement phase of the project.
Services included:
- Land assembly
- Leading negotiations for ecology surveys and licenses, Options Agreements and Injurious Affection Claims.
- Soil sampling and surveys
- Statutory consents
- Acquisition of land for new substation, including commercial terms
- Agricultural Liaison Officer role throughout construction
- Schedule of conditions
- Assisting with discharging conditions under the Development Consent Order
Challenges
This is a massive project so inevitably comes with some challenges to overcome.
Due to the scale of the project there are approximately 110 landowners and tenants we had to build relationships and trust with. Our team’s extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and open, honest, up-front approach paid off here developing strong relationships and confidence.
The original client losing the Development Consent Order during Covid was a setback. However, due to the strong relationships and levels of trust built with the landowners, the survey and evaluation stage of the projects remained on schedule.
Weather can also be a challenge impacting construction timelines and restrictions such as soil handling. With landowners along the route growing crops from cereals to salads, and even blackcurrants, each crop and soil type needed its own type of managing and protection. Our ALOs are on hand at all times to liaise with all parties to deal with any issues or queries and keep lines of communication open.
Highlights
Achieving voluntary agreement for all intrusive surveys is a huge success for a project of this size and demonstrates the strength of our team’s engagement skills.
Working through the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue getting everything in place and agreed was also a significant achievement.
Getting the first set of Options Agreements in place after all the hard work on this and to see construction getting underway in 2024 was a proud moment.
Find out more about our Land Offshore and Construction services.