Rampion 2: South Downs MP Andrew Griffiths criticises cable route

Andrew Griffith told the body examining the plans for the Rampion 2 wind farm that a proposed “cable motorway” would cause environmental damage near villages in the National Park.

The Arundel and South Downs MP voiced his concerns on the first day of a public hearing into the proposals.

Mr Griffith said: “I was pleased to be able to tell the Rampion 2 Examining Authority just why this is the wrong location for the project, representing the views of so many people who have written to me, all deeply concerned about the impact the cable motorway will have on small communities all along the planned route.

Andrew Griffiths MP (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

“This is just another part of a much bigger campaign to protect our green fields and precious landscapes from unwanted industrial damage.”

Mr Griffith, who is also a science minister, criticised the decision to hold the meeting in Brighton when the effects of the project will be felt “wholly within a section of the South Downs nowhere near Brighton”.

Plans for Rampion 2 would see a larger wind farm built off the Sussex coast, near the current one.

Campaigners have voiced concerns that cabling for the project, proposed to run through the South Downs, would blight communities in Climping, Cowfold, Washington and Storrington among other areas.

A consultation for the project took place last year and a public hearing is now discussing the plans.

Organisers say the project could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than one million homes.

The project was accepted by the planning inspectorate in September.

If approved, construction could start in late 2026 to early 2027 and the wind farm would be fully operational before 2030.

The current Rampion wind farm (Image: DCoolimages.com)

A Rampion spokeswoman said the developers carried out assessments of other onshore cable routes and refined their proposals during the consultation process.

She added: “The onshore cables will be buried underground for the entire route with no overhead lines or pylons. The impact of the cable route is temporary during construction only, with the land successfully reinstated.

“Developer of Rampion 2 RWE has extensive experience of delivering this kind of cable infrastructure, and of successfully returning land back to its original use. Rampion 2 continues to work with statutory bodies to further reduce the temporary impacts during construction.”