Advice to Melanie Bryer
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- From
- Melanie Bryer
- Date advice given
- 29 July 2010
- Enquiry type
I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed development of the waste incinerator at SRookery Pit, Stewartby.
My main concerns are the impact on the local environment, the increased traffic on already busy roads and the proposal to process waste from outside the County.
I am convinced that this is an ill advised development and that our focus should be on waste reduction and smaller, local disposal solutions.
Please keep me informed on developments relating to this application.
Advice given
I would like to take the opportunity to update you on the current situation for the Rookery South proposal and highlight the stages at which you can engage in the process and provide your comments as an interested party.
The anticipated application submission date to the IPC is 30th July 2010. If the IPC accepts the application we will in due course make a decision or recommendation on the application. We have 28 days to decide whether or not to accept the application. We are careful not to prejudice this important role before an application is submitted to us and it is important that Commissioners have the opportunity to consider all of the evidence before them at the time the application is submitted, without having been unduly influenced during the pre application stage by any of the parties. This ensures that they remain objective and impartial, which safeguards the interests of all parties. You will therefore appreciate that we are unable to comment on the merits of an application, or the applicants consultation procedures, during the pre-application stages.
After an application has been formally accepted for consideration by the Commission, the application will be publicised and you and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to register as an interested party and subsequently make written representations to us on the merits of the proposal. These representations will be considered by the Commission when deciding whether or not to grant development consent for the proposal. Where requested by an interested party, an open floor hearing will be held to allow parties to orally present their views. In certain cases, the examining Commissioner(s) will also arrange for hearings on specific issues to take place. The procedural arrangements for such hearings will take place around the time of the preliminary hearing following the Commission's acceptance of an application.
It is important to remember that you must write to us as an interested party at the appropriate time following acceptance of an application, as any email sent to the IPC before hand cannot legally be considered for such a purpose.
In its consideration of the application, the Commission must take account of Government policy contained within any National Policy Statement (NPS's), which will set out matters that the Commission must consider in its examination of an application. The NPS's on energy are currently in draft form and have recently undergone a period of consultation. In cases where an NPS has not been formally designated, the Commission, following its examination of the application, will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State who will then have the responsibility for determining the application.
As part of the examination process, the relevant Local Authorities will also be asked to produce a Local Impact Report setting out to the Commission what they consider to be the likely impacts of the proposal, including any environmental impacts, of the proposal upon the local area. This will also be an important document in our determination of the proposals.
For more guidance and advice on the Commission's roles and procedures, I encourage you to visit the Commission's website (using the link below) which includes detailed guidance and advice on the new infrastructure planning procedures and regulations.