THE public inquiry into controversial plans for a huge wind farm off the Hampshire coast has come to an end.

The Navitus Bay scheme proposes building up to 194 turbines, a maximum of 200m tall, off the coast of Lymington, the Isle of Wight and Bournemouth.

Members of the public have had almost a year to have their say on the plans, and the developers have also offered a ‘mitigation option’, which would see 105 turbines, 11 miles from shore at their closest point.

While supporters have pointed to the need for renewable energy, opponents have raged over a plethora of issues, including visual impact, the effect on the environment and the potential impact on tourism.

If the project is given the go-ahead, construction could begin in 2017, with the first turbines in operation in 2019 and the scheme being completed in 2020/21.