PCS is an affiliation of community groups across the Sussex coast and onshore: the Littlehampton Society, Middleton on Sea Coastal Alliance (MOSCA) and CowfoldvRampion .

Please join us in our fight to stop the Rampion 2 wind farm and protect our rural landscapes, seascapes and the environment. Donate now and you will make a difference!

On 4^th April the Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband, granted permission for the Rampion 2 windfarm ‘extension’ of the much smaller Rampion 1 windfarm. All environmental concerns have been swept aside on the basis of the overriding public interest of the need for green energy. Whilst we are not against renewable energy, this proposal is not truly green; it rides roughshod over nature and precious National Landscapes:

At 325m in height, these 90 turbines will be as tall as the Eiffel tower, nearly 2.5 times the height of Rampion 1.

NOWHERE on the UK Coast are there such large turbines as close to the shore as Rampion 2, and NOWHERE on the UK Coast is there a Wind Farm spanning such a large proportion of the horizon

We need your help to challenge the Secretary of State’s decision and take our case to the High Court. But time is critical; we have only a few weeks until 16^th May to seek the advice of a barrister and launch the challenge.

Our wildlife and habitats form a crucial part of the fight against climate change; any green energy proposals must tread as lightly as possible on Nature, or we will have no wildlife left to protect from climate change. These impacts, and the adverse effects on the South Downs National Park means that this decision overrides the protections on Nature and the Environment, provided in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which obliges decision -makers to seek to ‘further the statutory purposes’ of National Landscapes,  and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. Alternative sites were similarly dismissed in the name of the urgent need for renewables.

We urgently ask your help stop the proposed Rampion2 windfarm extension off the coast of Sussex

The beautiful tranquil Sussex countryside  is under threat. The South Downs National Park, the stunning Sussex Heritage coast, pretty villages and popular tourist towns have been the inspiration for art over many years.  Should the Rampion 2 windfarm be given permission, the iconic views and character of the National Park and Heritage coast will be changed forever and the night-time dark skies will be lit by rotating turbine lights.   The cost to the natural environment is considerable.   The impacts, both on and offshore, will be quite different from the much smaller Rampion 1 from which Rampion 2 extends.

On the sea bed, piling to install these massive turbines will destroy the breeding grounds of several endangered marine species and the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project which, after 4 years, is just showing signs of regeneration. The piling has the capacity to impact far beyond its immediate location because of the sonic shock.

 At the onshore substation site at Cowfold, many critically endangered species and priority habitats will be lost: lowland meadows teeming with insects, adders, slow worms and grass snakes;  nightingale, turtle dove and skylark habitats; badgers, otters and hazel dormice, along with around 115 mature oaks,   and hundreds of metres of ancient hedgerow. 

 The natural world is under threat from climate change, so it is more important than ever that we enhance our natural environment and protect our precious wildlife and biodiversity.  Saving the Planet is a key Climate Responsibility but destroying the natural environment is not the way forward.

There are so many clear reasons why this is a bad decision and which we believe should be challenged in court.

With your help we can do this and stop the destruction of our precious landscapes and wildlife, along with jobs and tourism in balance with assisting climate issues.

We recognise the importance of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, within a sustainable changeover period, so long as the new sources of energy are efficient, and environmental harm is fully respected and minimised.

But we are strongly opposed to RWE’s Rampion 2 windfarm extension. As the nation faces difficult financial decisions, and much of our wildlife is on the brink of extinction, alternative, far less environmentally damaging locations exist which would provide far more energy and value for money to the public purse.

Communities have already raised some funds, donated by our generous supporters, but in order to take it to a judge to apply for Judicial Review, we need a further £10,000 in the next few weeks. If the right to Judicial Review is granted we will need to raise considerably more.

Please help us fight to protect the South Downs National Park and other National Landscapes as we take this case to Judicial Review. Our challenge is based in part on the enhanced duty of decision-makers by law to seek to further the purpose of conserving and enhancing the landscape. The implications are wider than just for Sussex and could set a dangerous precedent.

If the Government can consent this, it is clear they will never say ‘no’ to any Renewable Energy proposal, no matter how damaging or ill thought-out. No wonder we are the most nature depleted country on earth!

With your support, we can raise the necessary funds to quash the decision and put an end to this inefficient and ill-conceived proposal.

ACT NOW TO HELP US.

If we don't act now, this destructive development could become a permanent scar on both the South Coast and the Low Weald.

Your donation will help protect this beautiful part of Britain. 

Thank you on behalf of PCS. Please act now and please spread the word by any means you can!

PCS website: ‘Who we are’

Protect Coastal Sussex website

https://www.protectcoastalsussex.org/about

The Littlehampton Society website

https://thelittlehamptonsociety.org.uk/rampion-2

MOSCA website

https://mosca.click/

The Cowfold Residents Action Group website

https://www.cowfoldvrampion.co.uk/