Fferm Wynt Coedwig Clocaenog

Enquiry received via phone

Fferm Wynt Coedwig Clocaenog

02/10/2012
Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm - Mr Clive Owen

Ymholiad

Please could you explain to me how the process works and when to register as an interested party?

Cyngor a roddwyd

As discussed over the phone Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm is currently at the pre-application stage of the process therefore the application has not yet been formally submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
As you aware the proposed Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm is centred on Clocaenog Forest, in the counties of Denbighshire and Conwy. The RWE (the applicant) proposes to build up to 32 turbines (each with a maximum tip height of 145m) with the maximum installed capacity of 96MW (32 x 3MW).
During the pre-application stage, as mentioned in our phone conversation the applicant is your first point of contact. Responding to the developer?s pre-application consultation is the best approach to influence a project, whether you agree with it, disagree with it, or believe it could be improved. I would therefore encourage you to ensure that RWE is aware of your concerns.
Once the application has been formally submitted, the Planning Inspectorate follows a period of up to 28 days to consider whether or not the application meets the standards required to be formally accepted for examination.
If the application is accepted the applicant is required to publicise this decision and also notify certain bodies of this decision. This notice and publicity will include information on when to make a relevant representation and as a result, become an interested party.
Interested parties then will be able to take a part in the examination of the application including attending the Preliminary Meeting and hearings. The purpose of the relevant representation is also to make a brief summary of what you agree/or disagree with in the application and what you consider the main issues to be. Registration enables you to provide more detailed evidence about matters you raised in your relevant representation, by making a written representation later on in the process.
Written representation can be made during the examination stage. The examination stage starts on the day of the Preliminary meeting, however the statutory 6 months period for examination starts the day after the Preliminary Meeting and must be completed within that period as prescribed under section 98 of the PA 2008 (as amended).
Once the examination is completed the Examining Authority has a duty to make its report with recommendations to the Secretary of State within a period of 3 months starting from the day that examination been completed as prescribed under section 98(3) of the PA 2008 (as amended). The relevant Secretary of State then has a function of making a final decision on the application by the end of the period of 3 months that begins with the end of the day on which the SoS receives a report on the application (section 107(1) of the PA 2008 as amended).
This is a brief explanation of how the process works. I am also enclosing our advice notes that set out the process by which proposals (under the Planning Act 2008) would be determined; in particular Advice Notes 8.1 ? 8.5 outline how the process works and the opportunities to be involved.
Please do contact me if you have any further questions.