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As members of the local surf club we are concerned that having the wind farms off the coast of Seaspray will affect use of that beach for surf life saving sports. Studies have shown that the wind farms can reduce wave height by 3-5%. As this beach has a popular and active surf club, this needs to be carefully considered when choosing the location. Having the wind farms as far away from the beach as possible and further up or down the 90 mile coast away from the surf club, compared to directly off the coast from Seaspray, would be of benefit. We are concerned the popular use of Seaspray beach by the surf club as well as locals for recreational use has not been carefully considered, as the BlueFloat spokeswoman could not provide any information on this. Another large concern is the close proximity to shore. The range provided was 10-40km from shore however 10km is not far when compared to others over the world that are at least 40km from shore. I understand having them closer will be more cost effective but it will be more of an eye sore for the beach as well as more detrimental to the use of the beach than if they were set as far back as possible. We are also concerned about the sheer volume of wind farms suddenly popping up. Having four in the one area raises huge concerns for the marine environment and changing the look of the landscape. We understand completely that renewable energy is the way of the future and also appreciate the jobs it will bring to the area, however we believe multiple companies exploiting the area will have a huge negative impact. Cumulative affects of multiple wind farms in the one area must be carefully researched and considered before going ahead as once they are constructed there will be no going back. We would be happy with 1-2 wind farms in the area for now to see how that goes first, while the long term consequences are still unknown.
