Have your say during the examination of the application

Contents

What examination means

The examination stage is where the Examining Authority look at the proposed project and ask questions.

The applicant, anyone who is registered to have their say, and anyone else involved in the project can comment on the proposed development or answer any of the questions at each deadline.

This is usually done in writing. The Examining Authority will create and publish a document of their questions. The examination may also involve hearings if there are issues that need to be discussed in more detail.

The Examining Authority will send you a timetable with the dates of each deadline for sending your comments. All comments will be published in the project information page on this website after they've been received.

How to comment during examination

All project documents, comments from others who have registered or have a statutory right, and examination questions will be published in the project information page on this website.

You can view these documents and make comments by filling in the online form in the project information page on this website.

If you have difficulty using online services, you can also send us information by email or post. You can check the project information in the project section of this website to find contact details for the Planning Inspectorate's case team.

Your name and comments will be published alongside the other documents in the project section of this website. Your address, email address and telephone number will be kept private. You can view our privacy notice for more information (opens in a new tab).

If you have missed the deadline to register to have your say

You can still look at the project information. If you submit information at this stage there is no guarantee your views will be included in the examination of the application. The Examining Authority will decide on whether your views can be considered.

More detailed advice

If you need more detailed advice, you can check our advice notes for more information.

Read the full set of advice notes (opens in a new tab).

Next What you can do after the decision has been made

Part of Have your say about a national infrastructure project

1. 1 Taking part at the pre-application stage

   Pre-application is the first stage of the process. This is where the applicant must consult with people and organisations. The applicant must provide information about how you can submit your comments to them. It is important to get involved at this stage as you can influence the application before the applicant sends it to the Planning Inspectorate.

   1. Taking part before the application is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

2. 2 Registering to have your say about a national infrastructure project

   To get involved after the application is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, you must register to have your say at the pre-examination stage. Pre-examination is where we prepare for an examination. We will identify an inspector or a panel of inspectors called the Examining Authority and make a plan for the examination stage. Registration is open for at least 30 days. The pre-examination stage takes about 3 months.

   1. How to register to have your say about a national infrastructure project.

3. 3 Get involved in the preliminary meeting

   In the months after the registration period closes, the Examining Authority will hold a preliminary meeting. This meeting is to discuss the main issues the Examining Authority will be examining, and the timetable for the examination stage.

   1. What you can do at the preliminary meeting.

4. 4 Have your say during the examination of the application

   At this stage the Examining Authority asks questions about the proposed development. The applicant and anyone who has registered to have their say can make comments by the deadlines in the examination timetable. Anyone can attend hearings that may take place during this stage. The examination can take up to 6 months.

   1. Submitting comments during the examination stage.

5. 5 What you can do after the decision has been made

   Once a decision is made by the relevant Secretary of State, there is a 6 week period where people can challenge the decision in the High Court. This is called a judicial review.

   1. What happens after a decision has been made?