Advice to Jon Elsom

Enquiry

• From: Jon Elsom
• Date advice given: 5 October 2012
• Enquiry type: Email

Writing to express objection to the planned construction of a wind farm near Bwlch y Cibau.

Advice given

In your email you note your concerns about the construction of a wind farm, wind farm schemes in Powys and infrastructure associated with such proposals including substations and pylons.

In order to provide accurate information it would be helpful to understand which project or projects in particular your comments relate to. You may be aware that our website contains details of the schemes that are currently to be determined under the Planning Act 2008 regime. http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/

There appear to be several schemes, both wind farm proposals and electric line schemes, in or close to the area that you write about. If you would like some more detailed information in respect of a particular project or projects, please contact the Planning Inspectorate.

In more general terms, many of the projects that appear to be close to the area that you refer to are in the pre-application stage. This means that an application has not formally been made to The Planning Inspectorate yet.

In such circumstances, responding to the developer’s pre-application consultation is the best time to influence a project, whether you agree with it, disagree with it or believe it could be improved. Should an application then be made to the Planning Inspectorate, the promoter will be required to explain how it has taken account of comments received during this consultation.

Where you have concerns about the consultation being carried out, again the first point of contact is the developer but you may also wish to notify the relevant local authority, as they will later have the opportunity to report to the Planning Inspectorate on their view of the adequacy of the developer’s pre-application consultation.