Northern Ireland consultation launched on offshore wind environmental compensatory measures

Following our June 2026 update, “Offshore wind compensatory measures: regulations now in force and new guidance published,” the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a consultation on Environmental Compensatory Measures for Offshore Wind in Northern Ireland. 

This marks another step in the development of the UK's evolving offshore wind consenting regime. The consultation opened on 20 July and closes at 9am on 21 September 2026. It seeks views on proposals relating to offshore wind projects located within Northern Ireland's inshore region (0–12 nautical miles).

The proposals would introduce a more flexible approach to environmental compensation where offshore wind developments give rise to unavoidable adverse effects on the integrity of protected marine sites. In particular, DAERA proposes enabling the use of wider strategic compensatory measures, alongside the establishment of a Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), with the intention of delivering compensation in a more effective, strategic and deliverable manner while maintaining existing environmental protections.

The consultation proposes a number of policy and legislative changes including: 

• amendments to the Habitats Regulations (Northern Ireland) to enable a broader approach to compensatory measures;
• a move towards strategic compensation that can benefit the wider UK Marine Protected Area (MPA) network;
• introduction of a compensation hierarchy;
• greater flexibility in how compensatory measures are delivered;
• use of the MRF as a voluntary mechanism for delivering compensatory measures; and
• requirements for compensatory measures to be evidence based, proportionate and to be supported by appropriate monitoring and adaptive management. 

The consultation follows recent reforms in England and Wales and signals the continued evolution of a more strategic, UK-wide approach to environmental compensation as governments seek to balance offshore wind deployment with environmental protection.

The consultation is likely to be of interest to offshore wind developers, investors, environmental bodies and other marine stakeholders. We will provide a further update once the consultation has concluded and DAERA have issued their response. 

The full suite of consultation documents and how to respond can be found on DAERA’s website here.

If you would like to discuss, please contact either Jen Ashwell or Adam Richards in our Planning and Compulsory Purchase Team.