Advice to John Pennington
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- From
- John Pennington
- Date advice given
- 9 December 2022
- Enquiry type
How are the cumulative impacts of each wind farm (Morgan, Mona and Morecambe) to be taken into account, if each wind farm is considered separately?
Advice given
With regard to your query about cumulative impacts, the Applicants for these projects have advised that they are going to undertake environmental impact assessments which will be reported in an environmental statement for each project. The environmental statement for each project will include an assessment of cumulative effects (as they are required to do by the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017). Each project will therefore have to provide an assessment of cumulative effects with other developments which it could interact with. Advice Note Seventeen on our website explains the general advice the Planning Inspectorate gives on undertaking cumulative effects assessment. The environmental statement for each project will be submitted as part of their applications for Development Consent Orders; if the application is accepted then the effects of each project, including the cumulative effects, will be part of the evidence that the Examining Authority (the panel of Inspector(s)) consider during the Examination of the project before making their recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Applicants for each project and for the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms Transmission Assets have each requested a scoping opinion from the Secretary of State. The scoping opinion provides advice on the topics and assessments which should be reported in the environmental statement. As part of the process of drafting the opinion, applicants submit a scoping report – shipping and navigation and effects on other sea users have been identified as aspects to be assessed in the environmental statements. The Planning Inspectorate which acts on behalf of the Secretary of State, is required to consult various bodies including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Trinity House, Natural Resources Wales and the Marine Management Organisation and to take their advice into account when drafting the scoping opinion. The advice from these bodies is appended to the scoping opinion. The process the Inspectorate go through when drafting the scoping opinion is described in more detail in Advice Notes Three and Seven on our website. Please note that this is separate from the statutory consultation process which applicants are required to undertake themselves. The environmental statements are required by the EIA Regulations referred to above to be based on the most recent scoping opinion, unless the project is materially different from the project described in the scoping report. You may find it of interest to read the scoping opinions and scoping reports (the scoping opinions may not make much sense unless read in conjunction with the scoping reports).