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.
Note that after a project page has been created for a particular application, any advice provided that relates to it will also be published under the ‘s51 advice’ tab on the relevant project page.
Advice given between between 1 October 2009 and 14 April 2015 has been archived. View the archived advice.
Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Station
Enquiry
As you may be aware, the Isle of Anglesey County Council is the host authority for two NSIP applications which are both due for submission later this year. It is expected that the examinations for these applications will overlap and as a result, the impacts of these examinations on the Planning Inspectorate and the Council will need careful planning, not least in terms of resources. I hope that by raising these issues now, both examinations will run smoothly.
1) I cannot overemphasise the importance of ensuring that suitable measures are in place to encourage and allow all Interested Parties to participate fully in the examination. Welsh is the first language for residents of Anglesey and Gwynedd and many relevant representations will be submitted in Welsh. Interested Parties will also wish to participate in the Preliminary Meeting and Open Floor Hearings in their own language.
2) In order to assist you in the organisation of the Examination hearings, it would be useful to understand the Planning Inspectorate’s requirements for access etc so that we may suggest the most suitable locations.
3) The timing of the two examinations will be crucial as many of my colleagues are working on both NSIPs and responding to two Examining Authorities and, for example, differing rounds of questions at the same time, will need extremely careful forward planning in order to avoid undue pressure on Council, and presumably Inspectorate, staff.
It would be helpful to discuss these points with you as soon as possible and understand how the Inspectorate is planning to manage both examinations.
Advice given
The Planning Inspectorate appreciates your concerns and I can assure you that we are making all necessary preparations to ensure that the two NSIPs can be conducted within the statutory timetable whilst keeping this manageable for all parties involved.
As you will appreciate, it is for an applicant to decide when to submit an application. The Inspectorate has, therefore, only limited influence over this key ‘trigger date’. However, setting the examination timetable including determining when to start the 6 months’ examination (within reasonable parameters set out in guidance) is within the power of the Examining Authority employed by the Planning Inspectorate. We will ensure that the Examining Authorities for both Wylfa Newydd and the North Wales Connection projects are informed by and take each other’s emerging timetables into consideration to avoid any timetable conflicts as far as possible.
To explore the above and any other relevant points more fully as you suggest in your letter, I propose a telephone conference between key personnel involved in the preparations for the two NSIPs from both our organisations. I would be grateful if you could liaise with Chris White, the infrastructure planning lead responsible for both these projects, about setting this up. His contact details are: [email protected] or telephone 0303 444 5107.
I am grateful for the support and advice you are offering to and seeking from us.
