A decision over plans which would see two wind farms off the Norfolk coast double in size has been delayed.
Energy secretary Claire Coutinho had a deadline of Wednesday, January 17, to decide whether to allow Norwegian energy giant Equinor to expand its Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms to power 1.5 million homes.
The company had lodged an application with the Planning Inspectorate, seeking a development consent order for the wind farm extensions, in September 2022.
A series of public hearings were held by the Planning Inspectorate throughout 2023.
The planning inspector had made a recommendation in October for Ms Coutinho to consider, which she was supposed to do within three months.
However, the government is able to set a new deadline - which it did on Tuesday.
It means Ms Coutinho now has until April 17 for a decision, with the government saying the later deadline was needed "to ensure there is sufficient time for the department to consider further information and to conduct any necessary consultation".
Sheringham Shoal is around 10 miles off Weybourne at its nearest point to shore, while the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is 20 miles north of Cromer.
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