Advice to Catherine Northover
Back to listEnquiry
- From
- Catherine Northover
- Date advice given
- 27 March 2020
- Enquiry type
I hear that the public meetings about this application have been cancelled due to the present Covid-19 criss. It would be undemocratic to proceed without the meetings and the right course of action would be for EDFE to postpone the application until the crisis is over and the meetings can take place. Yours sincerely, Catherine Northover
Advice given
Ms Northover, Thank you for your email. The process for applying for a Development Consent Order (DCO) is set out in the Planning Act 2008, the timing of the application is at the discretion of the Applicant. Whilst we are aware that the latest Sizewell C Community Forum meeting has been cancelled please note that the National Infrastructure Planning website provides a significant amount of information about the DCO process and how parties can get involved. Advice Note Eight provides an overview followed by five sections which take you step by step through the planning process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/legislation-and-advice/advice-notes/ The Planning Inspectorate has produced a series of short films explaining the process and how parties can take part: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/application-process/the-process/ For information that is specific to the Sizewell C project there is a project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/sizewell-c-new-nuclear-power-station/ The project page will be updated when the application is received and when the decision on whether or not to accept the application for Examination is made. It is important to note that when an Applicant submits an application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate that there then follows a period of up to 28 days for the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to decide whether or not the application meets the standards required to be accepted for Examination. The standards are set out in Section 55 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended) and Regulations 5 and 6 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009. All parties are encouraged to sign up for Email Updates using the button on the project page or via the link below: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/email-subscription.php?project=EN010012 Email Updates will enable parties to observe what’s happening on the application after it has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Should the application be accepted for Examination, it is important to note that if parties then wish to participate in the Examination they would need to register as an Interested Party at the appropriate time during the Pre-examination stage. If parties have signed up for the Email Updates they will receive a prompt when the registration period opens (the Relevant Representation period). For further information about registering as an Interested Party please see ‘Advice Note 8.2: How to register to participate in an Examination’. The Advice Note explains that if the Planning Inspectorate decides to accept an application for Examination, it will then be the Applicant’s duty to advertise the Relevant Representation period and provide details about how to register to become an Interested Party. Finally, with regard to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, please refer to the Planning Inspectorate’s published guidance which will be updated as the situation develops. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-planning-inspectorate-guidance I hope you find the above information helpful.