The proposed Mooir Vannin offshore wind farm is testing a new and previously unused consenting process that could set an example for future major marine developments in the Isle of Man.

Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) has highlighted the significance of the Marine Infrastructure Management Act 2016 (MIMA) while outlining its position on the proposal for 87 wind turbines.

The charity said Mooir Vannin would be the largest development ever proposed for the island and the first major marine consent application of its kind to be considered under MIMA.

Unlike the planning process for developments on land, MIMA does not technically provide for organisations to submit formal ‘objections’.

Instead, organisations such as MWT make ‘submissions’ and ‘representations’ to the Examining Body as part of the examination process.

MWT said it had ‘worked extensively to analyse the proposal and participate in the examination process on behalf of Manx wildlife’.

The charity has been involved in the process as debate over the proposed offshore wind farm continues, including discussion about its potential environmental impact.

MWT said: ‘This is the largest development ever proposed for the Isle of Man, and the first major marine consent application of its kind, under a new and untested piece of legislation (MIMA).

‘MWT’s role is to help ensure that Manx wildlife, habitats and ecological policy are properly considered.

‘This project, if consented, will set the example for all applications which follow.’

Mooir Vannin would be the first major marine infrastructure project of its kind to go through the MIMA consenting process.

With the examination still ongoing, MWT says the significance of the process therefore extends beyond the future of the wind farm itself, with the project potentially setting an example for applications that follow.