1. Section 51 advice
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Advice to Clare Mowbray

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Enquiry

From
Clare Mowbray
Date advice given
2 September 2010
Enquiry type
Email

Enquirer questioned if the applicant for Triton Knoll has given the community sufficient information to be able to comment correctly on various issues such as:

  1. Why does the applicant wish to buy a 70 acre plot of land when they only wish to build a 40 acre substation.
  2. No information shown regarding site access and possibility of a separate works compound during construction.
  3. No detail provided about mitigation measures for the proposed 13m transformers.
  4. The applicant has not provided estimates of likely vehicle numbers and size of loads during construction. They ask us in question 6 to comment on the access routes that leave the A158 these routes are unclassified bumpy country lanes with no road markings and it is difficult for 2 cars to pass each other on most parts of them. If there is one 7.5 tonne lorry a day this might not be a problem if there are 20 then it will be.
  5. They say in the questionnaire. Question 3 that they have investigated main potential environmental and ecological features such as the presence of bats, badgers etc. How can they have without carrying out an environmental survey over a reasonable time frame?

Advice given

Please note the advisory service we provide is primarily concerned with the procedural aspects of the new planning regime . As you may appreciate, in order to maintain the Commission's independence and impartiality, it is outside of our remit to advise upon the merits of a proposed application.

I therefore advise that you fully participate during the pre-application process with both the applicant and your local authority.

Your concerns highlighted in your previous e-mail and your suggestions that further survey work may be required should be raised with the applicant and you may also want to copy any correspondence with your local authority. These concerns and suggestions must be taken into account by the applicant in accordance with s49 of the Planning Act 2008 (Duty to take account of responses to consultation and publicity).

If you remain dissatisfied with the level of consultation by the applicant it is important that you relay this to your local authority.
Your local authority should take your comments into account when they are invited to produce an 'adequacy of consultation' report.
Once the Triton Knoll application has been submitted to the IPC any adequacy report produced by a relevant local authority will be taken into consideration by the Commission when deciding to accept or refuse the application for examination.

Should the application be accepted for examination you will have further opportunity to raise your concerns as an interested party.