The examination by an independent panel of Østed’s offshore windfarm application has entered its final stage.

This month, the final public meeting and specific issues hearings will take place together with an accompanied site inspection.

The examination will move into the reporting phase, where the examining body will consider all of the evidence before preparing its recommendation to the Council of Ministers, which will then determine the outcome of the application.

Chair on the examining panel Menaka Sahai said: ‘We are not here to promote the application, and we are not here to oppose it. We have been appointed to examine it thoroughly and impartially. We have not reached any conclusions on the application, and we will not do so until the examination has closed in September.

‘That means considering all of the written and oral evidence, testing that evidence where necessary, and undertaking what planners refer to as the planning balance, carefully weighing the benefits of the proposal against any adverse effects.

‘That assessment will inform our recommendation to the Council of Ministers on whether taken as a whole the proposed development is in the public interest.’

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

The examination process began in March and since then, there have been to public meetings and seven specific issue hearings.

Following feedback from the public the third and final public meeting will be held at the Villa Marina‘s Promenade Suite rather than the Comis Golf Club. This will be held on Monday July 13 at 4pm.

Everyone is welcome to register to speak at these events, provided they do so before the published deadline.

Three Specific Issue Hearings will be held at the Comis Golf Club over three days from July 15 to 17, from 10am each day. The Wednesday hearing will consider Seascape, Landscape and Visual Impact and Groudle Glen, followed by Environmental Matters on the Thursday and the draft Marine Infrastructure Consent and Strategic Matters on the Friday.

Ms Sahai said: ‘The examination has been designed to give everyone opportunities to participate, but it is also a statutory process with defined procedures and timescales, which must be applied consistently.

‘Whether you support the proposal, oppose it, or have yet to form a view, our commitment remains exactly the same as it was on the day we were appointed to conduct a fair, independent, and impartial examination before making our recommendation to the Council of Ministers.’

July will also see an accompanied site inspection, the purpose of which is to help the examining body understand relevant physical features.

Previous specific issue hearings have heard evidence from the Steam Packet Company and Stena Line which raised concerns about navigational safety and the increased risks of collision as more marine traffic negotiates a ‘choke point’ between Mooir Vannin, Walney Extension and Morgan windfarms.

The Steam Packet is calling for a minimum distance of at least five nautical miles between the windfarm and the choke point.