Advice to P Fletcher

Enquiry

• From: P Fletcher
• Date advice given: 13 September 2011
• Enquiry type: Email

Ms Fletcher enquired about: how short the period of time to accept an application could theoretically be, whether the online relevant representation form is printable for personal records once it has been filled in, the form that a written representation should be in, the acceptable size of a written representation attachment on an email sent to the IPC, an assurance that the representation will be received and whether A4 paper and binding is acceptable.

Advice given

There is no minimum requirement for the amount of time in deciding whether to accept or not accept an application; this is a matter for the Acceptance Commissioner. To date, the shortest number of days it has taken for a decision to be made concerning the acceptance of an application has been 21 days, in the case of Rookery South (see our website for more information).

Once an online relevant representation has been completed, there is currently no function on the IPC website to print said representation. However, most modern browsers incorporate a print function which would print the information shown on the page at that time.

A written representation, made during the Examination stage, can be in the form of an email or letter. There is no prescribed manner of how this should be set out, however the following information should be included: name, address, telephone number of the person making the representation and if the representation is being made on behalf of another the details of that person, the unique reference number, and a summary of the issues raised in the written representation. The Examining Authority may also place other requirements on the layout and information contained in a written representation, which will be set out in the letter issued under Rule 8 of the Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010.

Due to technological restraints, a written representation attached to an email can be no larger than 10MB. If required, a written representation can be split into several files and emailed separately; the sender should clearly mark each file and provide an index to ensure that the representation is received and filed correctly. It is worthy to note that, on previous cases, the Examining Authority has specified that any representations over 1500 words must contain a summary of the issues raised and that seven hard copies must be sent to the IPC.

The IPC will acknowledge the receipt of a written representation and this can be taken as assurance that it will be put before the Examining Authority for consideration. Our filing and IT processes are well managed and maintained to ensure no loss of information due to high demand.

Previously, A4 paper has been the main method of submission, and all binding types have proved acceptable.