Offshore wind could be “shot in the arm” for region

North Devon MP pays tribute to predecessor

North Devon Liberal Democrat MP Ian Roome has paid tribute to his Conservative predecessor for promoting floating offshore wind (Flow) as a “massive opportunity” for the area.

In his maiden speech in the House of Commons, Mr Roome said Selaine Saxby was “absolutely right” when she said, if done right, the Flow project could benefit the region for decades.

Flow is a method of generating electricity using wind turbines mounted on floating structures  anchored to the seabed.

Ms Saxby chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Celtic Sea.

Last year landowner the Crown Estate announced it would lease out enough seabed for four gigawatts (GW) of floating wind power to be constructed in the sea by 2035.

The Celtic Sea includes Southern Ireland, South–West Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany.

There is currently one project aiming to harness power off the North Devon coast. The proposed White Cross demonstrator site will have six to eight about 30 miles offshore and is expected to create enough energy to power 135,000 homes.

But there has been huge opposition to the onshore part of the project which involves laying electricity cables at the renowned surfing beach Saunton Sands and connecting to the grid at East Yelland. North Devon Council’s planning committee is expected to make a decision on that in the next few weeks.

Mr Roome said: “Numerous coastal seats across the south west, mine included, stand to benefit massively from investment in floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.

“With clean energy, an extended supply chain and high paying jobs this is potentially a shot in the arm to the economy of the Great South West.”

A former serviceman who was posted to RAF Chivenor (now RMB Chivenor) 35 years ago, Mr Roome said his constituency  had “hidden opportunities around every corner.

“We must seize them. It is a privilege for me to be North Devon’s voice in this place (parliament) and I intend to do it justice.”

He spoke of North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), the most remote acute hospital in mainland England, soon becoming home to a £1.4 million clinical research centre that will lead “groundbreaking studies” into heart conditions, joint problems and osteoarthritis.

And he said 10 per cent of all the medication used in the NHS is manufactured in Barnstaple at Accord Healthcare.

“They have just announced a new orally administered medication, among the very first of its kind, for prostate cancer which may benefit as many as 40,000 cancer sufferers,” he said.

“Another remarkable firm is SEA which has just won a £135 million contract to supply cutting edge defensive countermeasure systems to the Royal Navy. Thanks to their hard work and innovative engineering on an industrial estate in my constituency young people will be kept safe as they serve their country in uniform.”

But Mr Roome also spoke of a lack of dentists, pharmacists and nurses in North Devon and the need for investment in the hospital where the intensive care unit and operating theatres are approaching 50 years old.

Mr Roome said wages in North Devon are £100 below national average, younger people are being priced out of the housing market and there is a significant housing shortage.

And he said: “Even in the 2020s, parts of my area suffers real deprivation.”

“In some parts of Ilfracombe the proportion of young people attaining level 4 qualifications is barely above 25 per cent while life expectancy is 10 years lower than other parts of Devon,” he said.