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Advice to Leach Fishing

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Enquiry

From
Leach Fishing
Date advice given
22 January 2013
Enquiry type
Email

Mr Bill Brock, on behalf of Leach Fishing, Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales, stated his concerns about the consultation process regarding the Commercial Fishing Working Group.

Advice given

Thank you for your email in relation to the consultation process for the Rampion Offshore Wind farm and I note your concerns about the consultation undertaken to date with the Commercial Fishing Working Group and commercial fishing industry.

At the pre-application stage developers have a statutory duty to consult the public and prescribed consultees about their proposals under the Planning Act 2008. The developer is responsible for conducting the pre-application consultation and they must have regard to any feedback they receive during this period when preparing their application. It would not be appropriate for the Planning Inspectorate as a national organisation to direct them on how best to consult with local communities or organisations.

If you consider that the pre-application consultation being undertaken was not adequate then you should first contact the developer to give them an opportunity to respond and if necessary remedy any concerns raised about the way in which the consultation was being conducted. We will keep your correspondence on file, however, we would encourage you to contact the developer again directly with your views as this scheme has currently returned to the pre-application stage.

You should also inform your local authority about your views on the developer?s pre-application consultation. The local authority where the development is situated and the neighbouring local authorities will have the chance to submit an Adequacy of Consultation Representation once an application has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

Since the Planning Inspectorate will be the body examining any future application, we cannot comment on the merits of the proposal or any associated development. This ensures the impartiality of the Planning Inspectorate and protects the interests of all parties involved in the process.

If the Planning Inspectorate accepts the application for examination, there will then be an opportunity to register your views by completing a relevant representation form. Making a relevant representation on the prescribed form allows an individual or organisation to participate in the examination. Details about how and when to register will be publicised by the developer in local newspapers and via site notices. The Planning Inspectorate will also provide details about how to register and other project information on our website.