We want the Secretary of State to come to Fylde and see how the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm would ruin lives

Local opposition to a major infrastructure project which campaigners say with blight the Fylde countryside continues to grow in the borough, with MP Andrew Snowden having written to the Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero.

Fylde MP Andrew Snowden says he will continue fighting in his campaign against the proposed Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind farm cable route and, in a letter addressed to Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero, touched on the plans for a ‘Northern’ cabling corridor.

The Conservative MP also formally invited Ms Fahnbulleh to the Fylde coast to meet some of the region’s affected residents as, under the original proposals submitted in October 2024, electricity generated offshore would be brought ashore between Blackpool and Lytham and St Annes before being carried underground across Fylde to a new substation at Penwortham.

These plans were met with outrage and anger by residents across the Fylde coast. In the original proposal, the temporary construction corridors required to install the energy cables were going to be up to 120 metres wide, and the work was estimated to take 11 years to complete.

A new ‘Northern Proposal’ has now been put forward by the authorities, suggesting that the underground cables be rerouted via Rossall and the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone; saving up to £520m in infrastructure costs alongside reducing major disruption to houses, businesses and farmland.

Mr Snowden mentioned the proposal several times in his letter, stating: “The independent work commissioned by the three councils demonstrates that the Northern Option is not simply a local preference but a realistic and deliverable alternative.

“The current proposal should not proceed simply because it has reached an advanced stage in the planning process when credible evidence now demonstrates there may be a better solution for consumers, taxpayers, local communities and the environment alike.”

Speaking to The Gazette on behalf of the activist group ‘Fylde Says No!’, Rosaleen Forsey said: “We as a group will not accept the original proposals. People don't realise just how massive this project is. It's unusual and it's overly ambitious. We're concerned about people's mental health. This isn't just about making everything green for the future. What about the people who are here now?

"We support Andrew Snowden and the parish councils wholeheartedly. They've put a lot of very hard work into researching and documenting the northern route. We know it's much shorter, much cheaper and impacts far, far fewer people. It doesn't go through whole swathes of areas where people live and work.

"We also think it's a really good idea to invite the new Secretary of State to visit Fylde. We'd be delighted to meet her because we think it would be really worthwhile for her to see up close the terrible impact the proposed cable route would have on the local community,” Mrs Forsey added.

Andrew Snowden has formally invited the new Secretary of State for Energy to Fylde. His letter continued: “I would be delighted to show you first-hand the communities, farmland, coastline and businesses that would be affected by the current proposal, together with the opportunities presented by the Northern Option.

“Local people are not opposed to offshore wind or the transition to cleaner energy. They simply believe that nationally significant infrastructure should be delivered in the right place, in the most cost-effective way, and with the least possible impact on the communities expected to host it.”

The future of the proposal remains unclear. Previous Energy Secretary Ed Miliband placed the plans on hold pending further discussions, and a decision isn’t expected to be made by Miatta Fahnbulleh MP until later this year at the earliest.