1. Section 51 advice
  2. Advice in detail

Advice to Flyde Coast IPFC

Back to list

Enquiry

From
Flyde Coast IPFC
Date advice given
10 November 2010
Enquiry type
Email

How on earth can you have surgeries which tell you nothing about the application? You go to a surgery to be given information about the application . None of that was available and will not be available until Mar 1st when the application goes in. It can therefore not be called consultation but possibly information. This is just another tick box exercise and of no value whatsoever to the people of the area....the Fylde Coast who have been dealing with this application since its inception for years. Consultation is a process where both parties are in possession of all the facts and then useful discussion and airing of the facts is allowed to happen. So can we have this please? Can Phil Grant, the developer, shed more light on this application than the Commission?

Advice given

I'm sorry to hear that the content of the drop-in sessions did not meet your expectations.

The purpose of the sessions was to provide an opportunity to meet IPC representatives and find out:

  • How the new process for decision making works.
  • How members of the local community can get involved and have their say.

We set this out in posters, leaflets and communications with the media to avoid any perception that this was part of any consultation on the application. As set out on the posters, the IPC is at this stage unable to discuss the merits or details of the proposal but can explain all the opportunities people will have to give their views to the developer and later to the IPC.

Under the new process, the applicant is required by law to undertake a comprehensive programme of community consultation prior to submitting any application to the IPC for acceptance. Indeed, the adequacy of the applicant's community consultation is a key part of the IPC Commissioner's assessment of whether an application can be accepted for examination. In short, if an applicant does not demonstrate that it has undertaken adequate pre-application consultation, or does not provide evidence of how it has had regard to the issues raised through the consultation, then the IPC has the power not to accept the application for examination under the 2008 Planning Act.

Contact Halite Energy Group about its programme of community consultation activities to ensure you can have your say as early in the process as possible. Halite's public consultation is scheduled to begin in December and run until at least February, and should be widely advertised in the local press. My understanding is that Halite will also shortly make available its draft Statement of Community Consultation, setting out in detail all of the opportunities to have your say about the project before it is submitted to the IPC. Debbie Morris is Halite's community liaison coordinator and can be reached on 01772 672 244 / community@halite.net.