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The next stage of proposals for a major offshore windfarm have been delayed because of the high levels of feedback received by developers.
Navitus Bay Development Limited wants to erect up to 240 turbines covering a 76 square mile stretch of water off the south west of the Needles.
It could create enough energy to power between 600,000 and 800,000 homes a year.
The company behind the proposals have already carried out two rounds of public consultation which, it said, had attracted a high level of attendance from the local community. A third round of public consultation on the plans will now take place in February 2013.
In a statement it added: "To ensure the community's feedback is given the due consideration it deserves, Navitus Bay has decided to allocate additional time and resources to fully explore the comments we have received and how they can be accommodated into the final proposals, taking into account the complex technical and environmental constraints of the project."
Mike Unsworth, Project Director of Navitus Bay, added: "It has always been our intention that community consultation has a real bearing on our proposals and this small delay demonstrates this commitment. By rescheduling the next stage of consultation, we will be able to dedicate the additional time and resources necessary to fully consider the feedback we have received and identify how we can respond positively."
The company also said it would give time to commission 35 new viewpoints, including 15 daytime photomontages, showing how the wind park will look and conduct surveys of around 400 businesses across the south coast to "better understand their customers and the motivation of tourists visiting the area."
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