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| Navitus Bay wind farm refused permission by government | Navitus Bay wind farm refused permission by government |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A proposed wind farm off the south coast of England has been refused consent by the government. | |
| Developers behind the Navitus Bay project - for up to 121 turbines off Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - say it would have provided electricity for up to 700,000 homes. | Developers behind the Navitus Bay project - for up to 121 turbines off Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - say it would have provided electricity for up to 700,000 homes. |
| Opponents said it would damage tourism and was too close to protected coasts. | Opponents said it would damage tourism and was too close to protected coasts. |
| It is the first time the Department of Energy and Climate Change has refused permission for an offshore project. | It is the first time the Department of Energy and Climate Change has refused permission for an offshore project. |
| The £3.5bn Navitus Bay plan, developed jointly by Dutch firm Eneco and French giant EDF Energy A, would have had up to 121 8MW turbines at 200m (656ft) high. | The £3.5bn Navitus Bay plan, developed jointly by Dutch firm Eneco and French giant EDF Energy A, would have had up to 121 8MW turbines at 200m (656ft) high. |
| The Planning Inspectorate spent six months studying the plans, which developers said would contribute £1.6bn to the UK's economy over 25 years. | |
| MHI Vestas Offshore Wind would have made the 80m-long blades at its factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight - six years after it shut a plant on the island, axing 425 jobs and sparking an 18-day sit-in by workers. | |
| But all surrounding local authorities, except the Isle of Wight Council, were opposed to the scheme, and campaigners feared it would have a negative impact on the area's tourist industry. | |
| Bournemouth Borough Council had claimed the turbines, 13.3 miles out to sea from the resort, would detract tourists from visiting, risking almost 5,000 local jobs and cause a total economic loss of £6.3bn. | |
| There were also fears it could lead to the loss of the Jurassic Coast's Unesco World Heritage Status. | |
| The National Trust had also criticised the plans. |