New giant wind turbine project in Southport sunk for £75m surfing lagoon

Plans for a community energy company's wind turbine been shelved in favour of a surfing attraction.
Sefton Council has signed an exclusivity deal with a developer proposing a £75m surfing, hotel and spa attraction called The Cove. in Southport.

As a result, plans for a larger turbine than the current one at the Southport Eco Centre cannot go ahead.
Sefton Council said it needed the best value from its assets.

But it added that it took environmental concerns into account when pursuing different projects.
Southport Community Energy spokesman Ed Gommon said the company said he spent two years developing the turbine.

The new structure could have generated over 2.5 million kWh of electricity, he said, and could have powered the nearby Splashworld water park as well as homes and other businesses.

Mr Gommon said 25% of energy produced could have gone to Splashworld and that "we think that could have saved the council £40,000 per year".

Money to develop the project came from the government's Rural Community energy fund, which has been discontinued.

Mr Gommon said he felt shelving the project was at odds with the council's declaration of a climate emergency in 2019.

"In terms of what we'd developed we felt that we were very much in line with their publicly stated position on climate change and renewable energy," he said.

Mr Gommon added: "We were at the final stage of just being able to put the planning application in when it all went awry."

The Cove will see a four-star hotel, spa and surfing attraction at the land on Southport's Esplanade.
The team behind the Cove have said it will encourage day-trippers to stay for longer in the town, and evoke memories of Southport's lido, which closed in 1989.

Local residents told BBC Radio Merseyside they were disappointed the wind turbine project had been scrapped.
Retired librarian Sue Smith said: "We have got to come up with something to replace fossil fuels and wind turbines are one aspect of that.

"What sold this to me was that it was going to be paid back into the community, with investment in community projects like start-ups.
"There were lots of positives, not just energy."

Fellow enthusiast Linda Heath said: "Renewable energy is where we should be moving and a project like this where ordinary people can get involved is the best way to go."
The Cove is part of a number of projects planned to reinvigorate Southport's waterfront.

A new Marine Lake Events Centre is due to replace the resort's existing theatre and has been funded via government's Town Deal, plus £17.7 million from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and £19.7 million from Sefton Council.

A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: "In securing best value from all of our assets we always consider environmental and social outcomes, as well as the economic and the financial.

"That includes the case of this site, and we welcome continued discussions with current and prospective partners about shared objectives in relation to the environment and the economy as this work progresses over the next few months."

Source BBC