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Advice to Philip Dewhurst

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Enquiry

From
Philip Dewhurst
Date advice given
11 April 2013
Enquiry type
Email

am writing to express my very strong opposition to the proposal to build a huge industrial wind turbine generation plant within sight of the UK's heritage site on Dorset's Jurassic Coast.

Furthermore, it is disingenuous of you to fall for the company's state funded PR hype by referring to this ugly eyesore as a 'park' which suggests some kind of recreational or environmental space. In fact it will be a veritable forest of hundreds of ugly pylons soaring some 600ft into the air and blighting views from the Isle of Wight, Studland and Poole Bay for millions of visitors and residents alike.

I also believe the company's 'consultation' to have been flawed; as a resident on Bournemouth's West Overcliff, whose views will be greatly impacted by this development, I have received no communication from the company and have not been invited to any consultative meetings.

Advice given

Your comments have been noted and we will keep your correspondence on file and make it available for the Acceptance Inspector if an application is submitted by the developer.

As no formal application has yet been made to The Planning Inspectorate by the developer, the Navitus Bay Wind Farm scheme is at its 'Pre-Application' stage. Please note that the developer is expected to submit its application in Quarter 1 of 2014.

Until the application is submitted, your first point of contact should be the developer. Taking part by commenting at this stage does not prejudice your ability to make comments to the Planning Inspectorate on the scheme later in the process. Therefore you should inform the developer about your concerns as soon as possible and allow time for a response. As such, I recommend that you refer to the developer's website for information about how to contact them with feedback (link to Developer's website: http://www.navitusbaywindpark.co.uk/ ).

Before formally consulting people living in the vicinity of the project, the developer will have prepared a SOCC, having first consulted relevant local authorities about what it should contain. The purpose of the SOCC is to detail the consultation the developer intends to undertake with the local community about their project. The developer is then required to carry out their consultation with the local community as set out in the SOCC. If you have any concerns regarding the consultation that has taken place you may wish to notify the local authority, as they will later have the opportunity to report to the Planning Inspectorate on their view of the adequacy of the developer?s pre-application consultation, measuring what was delivered against the commitments made in the Statement of Community Consultation (SOCC).

Should the application be formally submitted, the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State has a 28 day period to determine whether to accept the application to progress to Examination. If the application progresses to Examination, the process then asks people to register as an ?Interested Party? with the Planning Inspectorate by sending us a 'Relevant Representation' about the proposal. This Representation will be considered by the appointed Examining Authority during the Examination period.

The Planning Inspectorate has produced several advice notes to help provide an overview of the Planning Act 2008 process and the opportunities to get involved. These are available at the following link: http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/legislation-and-advice/advice-notes/ . In this instance I recommend the advice note eight series - 'How to get involved in the planning process'.