Campaigners once again staging demo to protect Saunton Sands - where iconic Pink Floyd album cover was created
Campaigners are unhappy with the associated infrastructure for a floating offshore windfarm
Campaigners in North Devon are today demonstrating against plans to connect an offshore windfarm by digging up parts of a beach and surrounding area.
This month they've already recreated the album cover of Pink Floyd's 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' which was also created there - to highlight the impact of the planned work.
Almost 2,000 objections had been received ahead of North Devon Council’s planning committee to decide the fate of the onshore infrastructure plan.
The White Cross offshore windfarm, a test and demonstration site, is expected to pave the way for future floating offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea.
North Devon Council has already approved the plans.
The cable route for the five to eight turbines expected to generate enough electricity to power 135,000 homes, will make landfall on the beach at Saunton Sands and extend eight kilometres under Saunton Golf Course and the Taw Estuary, connecting to the national grid at East Yelland.
The area has a plethora of designations and protected landscapes and includes Braunton Burrows, a special area of conservation and UNESCO biosphere reserve known for its rich habitat for birds, bats and insects and flowering plants.
Campaigners have mounted a legal challenge to try and stop the development which they say will cause significant harm to the environment and traffic and construction work will clog up Braunton village and the only beach car park for up to two years.
White Cross is a project between Flotation Energy and Cobra who secured development rights from The Crown Estate for the windfarm in 2021.
There's more about the plans here