LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

King’s Lynn fishermen ‘owed £0.7m’ – row over compensation after cockle beds damaged 

Credit:  Lynn News | 05 November 2013 | www.lynnnews.co.uk ~~

Fishermen say the company behind an offshore wind farm owe them more than £700,000 for damaging cockle beds.

The Greater Wash Fishing Industry Group, which represents Lynn boats, says Centrica is refusing to return to the negotiating table to discuss the compensation.

The row has erupted over the lucrative beds at West Mark Nock, near Walpole Cross Keys, which have been damaged by work to lay cables from an offshore wind farm near Skegness to a sub-station.

Both sides are disputing the amount of compensation due to 46 Lynn fishing boats, which have not been able to harvest the cockles from that site over two years.

Fishermen say they are owed £759,600 and the work has damaged the adult and juvenile cockles along with future crops.

Chairman Andy Roper said a legal solution could be sought if negotiations fail.

Mr Roper said: “Two years of crops have been damaged. Not only did the work crush the cockles but it also suffocated them.

“Centrica’s operations have been disrupting and creating loss many years.”

Mr Roper said biologists have completed four surveys of the cockle population within the cable corridor since work began in 2011.

Survey figures showed that the cable route contained 780 tonnes before work started but this dropped to 266 tonnes.

Mr Roper said the young crop which has been destroyed by the work would have created a further 1,091 tonnes.

The contract agreed to pay £1,200 per tonne of cockles.

Cockles produced from The Wash are processed in factories in Lynn before being exported to Spain.

Mr Roper said: “Wind farms are complete and utter waste of time. “

Centrica disagree with the cockle tonnage figures stated by the fishermen as they say don’t stack up scientifically.

A spokeswoman said: “We’re committed to understanding, managing and reducing the environmental and ecological impacts of all of our activities, and have been working to minimise any impact of the essential works related to the Lincs wind farm throughout construction.

“Since the start of construction in 2011, we’ve been working to a methodology for assessing tonnage lost that was agreed with the fishermen, and is based on standard EIFCA methods.

“On the basis of this, we’ve made a series of payments to compensate the fishermen, the last of which was made in July in full and final settlement.”

Source:  Lynn News | 05 November 2013 | www.lynnnews.co.uk

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon