Advice to Peter Speight
Back to listEnquiry
- From
- Peter Speight
- Date advice given
- 5 June 2014
- Enquiry type
- Phone
Request for advice on how the process works.
Advice given
As briefly explained yesterday, the application for Knottingley Power Project is for a 1500MW Cycle Combined Gas Turbine (CCGT) and associated infrastructure. The application was submitted by the developer, Knottingley Power Limited to the Planning Inspectorate on 4 October 2013. The Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State had 28 days to decide whether the application should be accepted for examination, the decision to accept the application was made on 31 October 2014.
Following this decision, the pre-examination stage started where parties were invited to submit initial comments on whether they agree/disagree with the proposed application. Submissions were made in the form of relevant representations; these submissions also allowed parties to become an Interested Party (IP) for the project. Not long after the close of the relevant representation period (6 January 2014), the Single Examining Inspector (Elizabeth Hill, Examining Authority) was appointed on 3 February 2014 to examine the application. The Examining Authority made an initial assessment of issues arising from the application and informed all parties in her letter known as the Rule 6.
The Rule 6 letter was issued by the Examining Authority to all registered IPs and statutory undertakers such as yourself to advise on the draft timetable set by the Examining Authority.
On 13 March 2014, the Preliminary Meeting was held at Knottingley Town Hall to discuss the proposed examination timetable with the parties present. Following the meeting, the Examining Authority issued another letter known as the Rule 8 to all registered IPs and statutory parties. The letter included the final timetable for the examination and invited all non-registered statutory parties to advise the ExA whether they wish to be an IP for the project. Those who have registered as an IP receive further correspondence throughout the examination.
At the meeting the applicant informed the ExA about proposed changes to the original application they wished to make; documents highlighting these changes were requested by the ExA and submitted by the applicant for the Deadline 1 within the examination timetable ? 11 April 2014.
A further letter Rule 17 and Rule 8(3) dated 1 May 2014 was issued by the ExA to all registered and non-registered parties advising of proposed changes to the original application. In addition, the ExA in her letter also sought comments from all parties on whether the proposal for a phased closure of Kellingley Colliery, as an adjacent land use, would have any implications for the Knottingley Power Project. The deadline for these comments was 9 May 2014. This is the deadline we discussed over the phone.
All procedural letters for the project including letters Rule 6, 8 and Rule 17 & 8(3) can be accessed from here:
Please note that the next upcoming deadline for receipt of submissions listed in the examination timetable (Rule 8 letter) is Deadline 5 ? 20 June 2014. Should you have any comments about the application that you would like to bring to attention of the ExA, I suggest sending an email to the project mailbox: KnottingleyPower@infrastructure.gsi.gov.uk. Furthermore, please note that as you are not registered as an IP any comments you wish to make/submit about the application will be brought to the ExA?s attention, however it will be the ExA?s discretion to decide whether to accept any representations from a non-registered IP.
For more information to understand the process of the Knottingley Power Project application, I also recommend looking at the Rule 8 letter and examination timetable and any procedural decision letters on our website. All submissions received for specific deadlines set in the examination timetable are also published on the project webpage under examination tab, see the link to project webpage below:
The note of the Preliminary Meeting held on 13 March 2014 and all audio recordings from hearings held in May 2014 can be also accessed from here:
Please note that the examination for the above application is due to close on, or before, 13 September 2014. Once the examination is closed the ExA will have 3 months to write its report recommending the decision to the relevant Secretary of State, the Secretary of State will then have a further 3 months to make a final decision on the application.
All representations for the project must therefore be received by the Planning Inspectorate within the deadlines set in the examination timetable. Moreover, anything submitted after the close of examination will not be considered by the ExA and will be forwarded to the relevant SoS.
For more information on how the Planning Act 2008 process works, I suggest looking at the series of useful Advice Notes on our website (including AN 8.1-8.5):
http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/legislation-and-advice/advice-notes/
I hope this gives you brief update on where this project currently is in the process and it provides you with an overview of the PA 2008 process itself.