PLANS to create a seabird sanctuary at Plémont have faced a renewed barrage of criticism from a campaign group after it emerged the scheme could be funded by an energy consortium seeking to build a wind farm in UK waters.
The Plemont Headland Protection Group said it had repeatedly asked for clarity on the funding details behind plans submitted by Birds on the Edge towards the end of last year, which – if approved – would see a 907m “predator exclusion fence” installed along the coast, below the public footpath.
Birds on the Edge – a partnership between the National Trust for Jersey, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the government’s Natural Environment team – hopes that the “fenced ecosanctuary” would help safeguard the future of many of Jersey’s seabirds, protecting their nests and chicks from non-native predators.
It is due to be considered by the Planning Committee on Thursday.
The Plemont Headland Protection Group has raised several concerns about the scheme, including the scale of the proposed fence.
But the group has levelled further criticism after learning the plans could receive financial backing from Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind, a project being developed by TotalEnergies, Corio Generation and Gulf Energy Development that could see a 1.5 GW wind farm built 33 miles off the Lincolnshire coast.
Plemont Headland Protection Group member Jennifer Gare noted the seabird sanctuary was referenced as part of the energy consortium’s UK planning application.
She cited a document outlining how the Plémont anti-predator fence could potentially be supported by Outer Dowsing as “compensation” for possible damage to guillemots and razorbills that the wind farm might cause.
Another objector, Rich Bouchard, said the Island’s “pristine” headland was being used “as a pawn in a wider game being played out between the UK government Planning Inspectorate and an international consortium of businesses that is applying to build a wind farm in UK waters”.
Ms Gare said the group had “repeatedly” asked for clarification about details of the funding for the seabird sanctuary “but the applicants have continued to be opaque about the source”.
In response, Birds on the Edge stressed that the funding was “provisional” and dependent on a number of factors “out of our control”.
“Not least the results of our own planning application and a concurrent application by the potential funder – a renewable energy company called Outer Dowsing,” the statement continued.
“It would be wholly inappropriate and potentially misleading for us to comment further on this given those uncertainties and it is regrettable that this information is being used to undermine our planning application and that we are being forced to discuss this funding relationship prematurely.”
It described the funding as a potential investment of £5.3 million “directly into the Jersey economy” from a “multi-award-winning, global leader in renewable energy” and from funds “that are exclusively reserved for the protection of seabirds”.
“By securing external funding this project would not need to seek support from local funds or taxpayer money and would use funds that could not be used for alternative purposes,” the statement added.
“It is a credit to both the rigour and scope of this project that we have been able to attract such a high-profile partner who fully endorses our work and our planning application and who could greatly contribute to the success of this project.”
Birds on the Edge also argued that how the project was to be funded “is not a planning consideration”, adding that it intended to proceed with the scheme regardless of whether it secured financial backing from Outer Dowsing.
“This project has always been run by the Birds On The Edge Partnership based on what is best for Jersey and what is best for the species and landscapes that we are trying to protect, and it will continue to be run on that basis, regardless of who funds the project.”
Responding to a request for comment from the JEP, Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind said it “supports the excellent work that has been done to date by the Birds on the Edge team and is excited at the prospect of potentially facilitating an opportunity to create a habitat free of predators for endangered species of birds in Jersey”.
