For the purposes of the commnity consultation 'community' was taken to mean those people who live or work in the vicinity of the project, and users or visitors to the area who may be indirectly affected by the project. The offshore community includes recreational and commercial users of the sea and coastline in and around the proposed offshore wind farm area and the onshore community includes those who live along the proposed underground onshore cable route, the landfall area and substation location.

For us to demonstrate to the Planning Inspectorate that the consultation has been meaningful, the broadest community must have the opportunity to have their say. It is key that our consultation reaches as widely as possible and that communities can influence the proposals. We aim to ensure that the views of the community are reflected in the final application.

All consultation responses will be taken into account, whether from people living in the immediate vicinity of the site or from those living outside the area. Our SOCC strategy document provides further background on the consultation catchment and consultation methods, and is available to download from the consultation document downloads section.