IN THREE years’ time, Dutch Eneco and Electricite de France propose to enclose Poole and Christchurch bays with a stockade of whirling crucifixes, nearly four times the height of Nelson’s column.

Most of them will be well inside the 12 nautical mile barrier.

This is the biggest project in our area for a generation, affecting the local economy and tourism, our coastal environment and raising household costs of Poole residents for years to come.

What worries me is that all major decisions will be made entirely outside our area and community by Crown Estates who own the seabed and the rent will be paid to the Treasury, not locally.

Decisions will be made by the Planning Inspectorate – who are they? Does anyone know?

And finally, decisions by the Secretary of State, Ed Davey.

There will not even be a chance for local planning panels to discuss the project in open, public session.

I am proposing a motion to Poole Council in June asking council to call upon the Coastal Authorities Forum dealing with Navitus to organise a local referendum to see if there is ‘community consent’ for this project.

If this referendum coincides with the Euro Parliament elections in 2014, it will greatly reduce the cost.

However, my motion will not see the light of day unless more councillors can be persuaded to support it.

Could I ask your readers to contact their ward councillors and ask them to back my motion for a referendum?

I am sure most people would like to express an opinion yea or nay.

Readers who don’t live in Poole could ask their councillors to put forward their own motion on a Navitus referendum.

CLLR TONY WOODCOCK, Civic Centre, Poole