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Advice to Jim Doyle

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Enquiry

From
Jim Doyle
Date advice given
12 October 2012
Enquiry type
Email

Request by Jim Doyle for a technical review of the White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage project's Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC)

Advice given

The Planning Inspectorate provided the following advice on the applicant's draft Statement of Community Consultation:

  1. You may wish to include information on which local authorities under s.47(2) of the Planning Act 2008, as amended (the Act) you have consulted with regard to the content of the SoCC.

  2. Further to the above advice, to comply with s.47(5) of the Act you will need to include evidence in your Consultation Report, submitted with your application, that you have had regard to the responses from the relevant local authorities when developing your consultation strategy and SoCC. We also advise you include your reasoning in the Consultation Report of any advice from a local authority that hasn?t been followed. CLG Guidance on pre-application consultation 2009 (paragraph 45). I raise it now so that you are aware of the audit you should keep as you progress your consultation.

  3. Although your SoCC states that you will engage with community groups in the area, there is no specific information on how you plan to engage with hard to reach communities. CLG Guidance specifically covers this area. You may wish to consider how your SoCC, and in due course your Consultation Report, demonstrates your strategy for such groups, for example groups that don?t have access to the internet, have limited literacy skills or due to disabilities are unable to partake in your public events.

  4. Your SoCC could also address whether documents will be made available in different languages or other formats, such as audio or Braille. You may consider making such material available. (Please refer to CLG Guidance on pre-application consultation 2009 paragraphs 60-63).

  5. May I also draw your attention to paragraph 50 of CLG Guidance on pre-application consultation 2009 that states that the developer should aim to capture the views of those who live, work in or otherwise use the area. I note in your SoCC that there is no specific reference to consulting local small businesses or leisure users. Accessing these groups may be something you would like to consider. You might also consider how you will consult local employers.

  6. Please note that the SoCC needs to be published in such a manner that may be prescribed to comply with s.47(6)(b) of the Act