Scotwind Leasing Area N4 location: EIR release

Information requested

“How has this area for wind farm development been located so close to the land, when every other area identified as part of this Scotwind process is much further offshore. I can only assume that it was located so close inshore at the request of one of the consulted bodies during the consultation phase. In any event, I would wish to be advised of the logic/ paper trail that lead to Lease area N4 being located so close inshore.”

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

The N4 plan option area was identified in the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP-OWE), which was published in 2020. The sectoral marine planning process brings together the related planning, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Habitats Regulation Appraisal (HRA) and Socio and Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA), as well as statutory consultation processes into one integrated process. Sectoral marine planning is undertaken by the Scottish Government’s Offshore Wind Directorate and supports this leasing process by identifying sustainable plan option areas for potential future development. The administration and management of seabed leasing for the purposes of offshore development in Scotland is managed by Crown Estate Scotland (CES) on behalf of Scottish Ministers.

There is information on the process to identify the draft plan options in the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy:Sustainability Appraisal available online here: Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy: Sustainability Appraisal (www.gov.scot)

The key stages of the planning process to identify the draft plan options included: Opportunity and Constraint Analysis –Iteration 1; Opportunity and Constraint Analysis – Iteration 2 - Single Issue Constraint Analysis; Scoping Consultation; Opportunity and Constraint Analysis – Iteration 3; and Identification of Draft Plan Options. Following the statutory consultation, the responses received were subject to consultation analysis. The consultation analysis report, which provides details on the support or opposition to proposed draft plan options, is available here: Draft Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (2019): Consultation Analysis Report (December 2019 to March 2020) (www.gov.scot).

We received an information request on 7 August 2024 on the topic of Offshore Wind Farm location: N4 (Outer Hebrides). This request was responded to on 29 August 2024 under case reference number 202400425504 by my colleague. In carrying our searches for the information in scope of your request I am satisfied that all items we hold have already been released under this previous request. Eight items and extracts from two further documents have been published on our website at the following weblink: Offshore Wind Farm location: N4 (Outer Hebrides): EIR release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

There is also a list of other weblinks where you can find information already published that may be of interest to you. Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format.

If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the websites listed, then please contact me again and I will email you a copy of what is published at the weblink.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.