Register of advice

The list below is a record of advice the Planning Inspectorate has provided in respect of the Planning Act 2008 process.

There is a statutory duty under section 51 of the Planning Act 2008 to record the advice that is given in relation to an application or a potential application and to make this publicly available. Advice we have provided is recorded below together with the name of the person or organisation who asked for the advice and the project it relates to. The privacy of any other personal information will be protected in accordance with our Information Charter which you should view before sending information to the Planning Inspectorate.

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Advice given between between 1 October 2009 and 14 April 2015 has been archived. View the archived advice.

Enquiry received via email

North Wales Connection

23 July 2018
Jonathan Dean

Enquiry

Query 1 (from Jonathan Dean by e-mail on 9 July 2018)
I’m sorry but this is a circular argument !
National Grid requested impact on house prices be put out of scope
The SoS agreed
You put this in “the opinion”
I want to know why? And why is it in scope in Cumbria?
It cannot be right for National Grid to make up the rules and police themselves! There simply has to be some form of check!
Who wrote “the opinion”? Who signed it off? What was the decision making process?
Anglesey is being discriminated against, again!
Query 2 (from Jonathan Dean by e-mail on 10 July 2018)
Thank you for this
The scoping opinion may well have been in the public domain, but Grid never made reference to it in the public consultation, and certainly never drew attention to the fact that impact on house prices was out of scope (PMO please take note)
I am trying to find out the rational behind impact on house prices being out of scope. BEIS direct me to you, and you direct me to National Grid. Obviously Grid want as much as possible out of scope, so who made the decision? I had assumed it was the SoS - is this not the case? Someone, somewhere, other than National Grid must think this is reasonable, so who was it? And on what basis?
Grid are currently taking about two months to answer any questions, so if I wait for a reply from them the DCO will have been submitted!
Query 3 (from Jonathan Dean by e-mail on 11 July 2018)
I have just been reading the Scoping Opinion for Wylfa Newydd, as well as the North West Coast Connection, and , of course, the North Wales Connection.
Impact on house prices has not been put out of scope for Wylfa Newydd, but has for the North Wales Connection, and I have already mentioned the North West Coast
Horizon presumably consider their project will have an impact on house prices, and the SoS must agree, and yet National Grid believe the opposite, and the SoS agrees
Is this a question for PINS, Horizon or the SoS, and now that Horizon's DCO has been accepted for examination, is it still appropriate to ask them or wait for the inquiry?

Advice given

Response (by e-mail dated 23 July 2018)
The Scoping Opinions for both North Wales Connection and North West Coast Connection were prepared by the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State.
The Scoping Opinion for North Wales Connection agreed to scope out impacts on house prices, for the reasons explained in paragraph 3.53. Whilst the Scoping Opinion for North Coast Connection did not make specific reference to impacts on house prices, the Applicant stated their intent to scope this matter out in paragraph 16.9.11 of the Scoping Report on the basis that “This is not a matter that requires assessment under the 2009 EIA Regulations and is not a material consideration in the determination of planning merits of the proposal”.
Notwithstanding the above, it is important to note that decisions within a Scoping Opinion are primarily based on the information provided by the Applicant and by having regards to the characteristics of the Proposed Development and the receiving environment. It does not necessarily follow that a decision made in relation to one Scoping Opinion would equally translate to another.
As you are aware, the Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Station application has been accepted. As you have already registered as an Interested Person for the Wylfa application, you may submit any additional views on the application that you would like to make known to the Examining Authority by the relevant deadline, which will be confirmed in due course.