Further Developments at Cockenzie

As we’ve mentioned previously on our blog, the future looks bright for the offshore renewables industry, which is expected to play a crucial role in Scotland’s energy mix in years to come. With this in mind, Scottish Enterprise is seriously looking at plans for the development of an Energy Park at Cockenzie. They believe that the site would be the perfect location for companies involved in the offshore wind supply chain.

The idea has been on the cards for some time now, since the announcement of the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan (N-RIP) and the National Renewables Infrastructure Fund (N-RIF) in 2010.

Cockenzie is seen as an ideal location for many reasons, including its location close to major offshore wind sites, its history and potential for deep water berthing. In the long term, it’s also seen a good place for investment into jobs and economic development, with potential for further development in the future.

The project

Experts think developing an Energy Park at Cockenzie will help to establish Scotland as a European hub for the offshore wind industry.

The main plans for the site include:
• New marine infrastructure
• A new quayside
• Serviced plots and associated infrastructure
• Aggregate extraction.

At the moment there’s no timescale for the plan, as so many aspects of it are yet to be agreed, and the planning consents needed to take the project further haven’t been obtained. The Energy Park could accommodate a wide range of end-users, and because they haven’t yet been identified, plans for the development have to stay very flexible.

The proposed development requires a number of consents before it can go ahead;
• Application for Planning Permission in Principle
• Application for Marine Licence (under the Marine Works
• Application for Harbour Empowerment Order.
(A Proposal of Application Notice, relating to the application for Planning Permission in Principle, was submitted to East Lothian Council on 2 June 2014.)

Consultations

If you want to have your say on the proposals, or just want to know what’s going on, there are consultation events at every stage of the development.The first consultation events have already been held - on 16 June 2014 in Prestonpans Library and 18 June 2014 in Port Seton Community Centre. There will be a second round of consultation events in early 2015, before the planning applications are made. At these events, anyone interested will be given information about how to view the formal documents.

After the applications have been submitted there will be another round of consultations and ongoing consultations will happen at milestones in the development process.

We’ll keep you up to date with any developments as the news comes through.