An ‘absolute travesty’, ‘nobody wants it’ and ‘nothing but negative’.

This was the verdict on the proposed Mooir Vannin offshore windfarm from some Onchan residents who attended an event billed as a public information drop-in session.

Representatives from No Offshore Turbines for Isle of Man - or NOT4IOM - had been invited by Onchan District Commissioners to answer questions about the proposals.

But developer Ørsted said it ‘politely declined’ an invitation to attend.

Although the event at The Hub was hosted and promoted by the Commissioners, the local authority insisted it had not organised a debate and did not endorse the views of any organisation, campaign group or developer.

Georgina O’Sullivan, who runs NOT4IOM, said that she would’ve liked Ørsted to attend so there could have been more of a debate.

She said: ‘We were invited here by Onchan Commissioners. We were hopeful we would be having a robust debate as we would have really welcomed Ørsted to be here to put their views over but that didn’t happen.’

Ørsted has applied to build 87 turbines between six to 12 miles off the east coast of the Island – stretching from Onchan Head to Maughold.

The application is currently being examined by an independent panel which will ultimately make a recommendation to the Council of Ministers.

Residents at the drop-in session expressed their opposition to the proposed scheme.

One said: ‘There’s a lack of information for the public to make a decision on this issue and I applaud the Commissioners for holding the drop-in session.

‘I see nothing but negatives to be honest. Government might think they are going to get some income out of it but nothing has been agreed - it’s all “ifs, coulds and maybes”.

‘I don’t trust our government to be negotiating a good deal.’

Another said: ‘I’m 100% against the Mooir Vannn windfarm because I don’t think there’s any benefit to the Isle of Man.

‘I think the beauty and uniqueness of the island and its seas should not be for sale at any price. It would be an absolute travesty if it went ahead.’

A third said: ‘It’s a no-no for the island, doesn’t contribute anything and nobody wants it.’

Ørsted has previously said in a statement it was not originally invited to attend the event but was then told it could but this would be in a separate room.

It said that it had ‘politely declined because it would not be appropriate’ in light of the ongoing, independent public examination’.

In a statement, Onchan District Commissioners said it had asked NOT4IOM to provide an information session after receiving a significant number of inquiries from residents in recent months about the proposed windfarm.

It said that while NOT4IOM had been approached in the first instance, this should not be interpreted as endorsement of its views.

It added: ‘It is important to emphasise that this approach originated from the Onchan District Commissioners in response to residents' requests for information.

‘The Commissioners have not organised a debate and have not endorsed the views of any organisation, campaign group or developer.’