Change in the wind: Yes to clean energy – even in the beautiful South-west

The bucolic splendour of Dorset has inspired countless writers, artists and holidaymakers.

The murderous instincts of the fictionalised residents of Broadchurch have given the county a more unusual claim to fame.

From the ruins of Corfe Castle, to the rolling hills north of Bridport in which hid Geoffrey Household’s Rogue Male, Dorset is a county of romanticised associations. The proposed development off its coast of the world’s biggest offshore wind farm does not exactly fit this narrative: opposition to the plans was perhaps inevitable.

Progressives will regard those campaigning against the facility as sentimental Nimbyists. And we certainly cannot allow it to be doubted that wind energy has a vital role to play in Britain’s efforts to become less reliant on fossil fuel.

However, in this particular case there is a fossilised fly in the Jurassic ointment. The coast of Dorset and east Devon is England’s only natural property to have Unesco World Heritage status. The sequence of rock formations there are remarkable in spanning the whole Mesozoic era. Unesco itself has raised the prospect that the World Heritage label might be revoked if the current proposal goes ahead.

This potential loss cannot be ignored because Dorset’s coastline is central to its flourishing tourism industry. Equally, the realities of climate change make it imperative that the renewable energy programme finds a way to progress. As Thomas Hardy put it, “to every bad there is a worse”, and we cannot ignore the potential disasters of tomorrow simply for fear of creating a glitch today.

The scheme should not be cast aside. But it is vital that all sides in this debate work to a solution which keeps Dorset green and pleasant – now and in the future.