Dear team, I have recently been contacted by my constituent, Mr Daniel Harwood, regarding a proposed development at Swanscombe Marshes. Mr Harwood is concerned that about the impact this could have on both the local environment. He states that he is further concerned about the amount of scrutiny in national government of major developments, such as the Swanscombe Development, which he believes will adversely affect the environment, I would be grateful if you could look into this matter on their behalf and respond to their concerns. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Helen Sent on behalf of Helen Hayes MP Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood

Dear Mr Harwood, We have been forwarded your details by Helen Hayes MP in relation to your concerns regarding the proposed London Resort project (formally known as London Paramount). The proposed application by London Resort Company Holdings (the Applicant) is at the Pre-application stage of the Planning Act 2008 (PA2008) process. The Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate) is unable to consider representations about the merits of any application until it is accepted for Examination. The Inspectorate also does not have the power to intervene in an Applicant’s pre-application programme. The process for applying for a Development Consent Order (DCO) is set out in the PA2008. The timing of the application’s programme is at the discretion of the Applicant. This statutory consultation exercise is taking place between 27 July - 21 September 2020. All parties that wish to put their views to the applicant are strongly advised to do so at this opportunity. Further information and documentation can be found on the applicants website: attachment 1 You can call the Applicant on: 0800 470 0043, or write to them at: FREEPOST: LONDON RESORT CONSULTATION The Applicant has a statutory duty to have regard to all consultation responses received and this should be demonstrated in the Consultation Report which is part of their DCO application. Your comments should be taken into account when the local authority sends the Inspectorate its comments on whether the Applicant has fulfilled its consultation duties. The local authority’s comments on the Applicant’s consultation will be taken into account when the Acceptance Inspector makes their decision whether to accept the application for Examination. Should the DCO application be accepted by the Inspectorate for examination, the Applicant has a duty to notify the local community when providing information on how to register as an Interested Party for the purpose of the process. The process under the PA2008 has been designed to allow members of the public and statutory stakeholders to participate in examination of all DCO applications so that anyone interested in the proposed developments, their potential impacts and any relevant matters can be fully engaged in the examination process. Once the examination begins, the Examining Authority will assess all information submitted in the application documents and will consider whether the Applicant has provided the necessary level of information. The Inspectorate has produced several Advice Notes to help provide an overview of the PA2008 process and the opportunities to get involved. They are available at the following link: attachment 2 The following are particularly relevant: Advice Note 8: ‘Overview of the nationally significant infrastructure planning process for members of the public and others’. Advice Note 8.1: ‘Responding to the developer’s pre-application consultation’ Advice Note 8.2: ‘How to register to participate in an Examination’. Please be assured that anyone interested in the proposed developments, their potential impacts and any planning matters can be fully engaged in the examination process. A copy of your correspondence has been placed on our records and will be presented to the Inspector at acceptance together with the application documents and Local Authorities’ comments on the Applicant’s consultation. Regarding your concerns on scrutiny in national government of major developments; National Policy Statements (NPSs) are produced by government. They give reasons for the policy set out in the statement and must include an explanation of how the policy takes account of government policy relating to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. They comprise the government’s objectives for the development of nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs). The Inspectorate is impartial and does not comment on government policy. However, Examining Authorities do make their recommendations within the framework provided by NPSs, as required by the Planning Act 2008. At this time, there is no specific NPS for Business and Commercial NSIPs. The Applicant has acknowledged this in their scoping report. They have identified the National Planning Policy Framework and the local plans prepared by the relevant planning authorities in the area affected by the proposed development. In addition, the National Networks NPS (NPS EN-1) and the NPS for Ports (NPSP) have been identified as being relevant to the proposed development. With regard to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, please refer to the Planning Inspectorate’s published guidance which will be updated as the situation develops. attachment 3 We have also published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: attachment 4 Please note, in accordance with Section 51 of the PA2008, a summary of your query and our advice will be published on the project’s webpage of the National Infrastructure Website.