Compensation Workshop for ‘Project Seabird’ and derogation under the Habitats Regulations with Ørsted, Natural England, the Marine Management Organisation, Defra, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Please see attached meeting note

Ørsted - anon.

At N2RS we remain involved in participating in both Hornsea Project Three and Norfolk Vanguard off shore wind farm developments and I wondered if you would kindly answer a couple of points.

1. Could you please provide the name and email address of the representative from the inspectorate involved specifically in the Hornsea Project.

2. In terms of both projects, we would like to know if there is any chance that the public meetings held by the inspectorate in due course will take place in the East Anglia area.
1. Whilst we have a team of people allocated to work on a NSIP project, for Hornsea I am the Case Manager and the Case Officer is KJ Johansson. For info, Tracey Williams is now the Case Manager for Norfolk Vanguard and the Case Officer is Sian Evans.

2. The Preliminary Meetings and any hearings for Hornsea (as well as Norfolk Vanguard should the application be accepted for examination), will be held in East Anglia.

Katie Taylor

Pins meeting with Hornsea Project Three
See attached meeting note

Hornsea Project Three - anon.

Pins meeting with Orsted - 20 March 2018
See attached meeting note

Orsted - anon.

General query regarding the Nationally Significant Infrastructure projects and the examination process
I can confirm that Oulton Parish Council has been identified as a prescribed consultees for the above project, under Schedule 1 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 (APFP) [attachment 1].

Should the application for the Development Consent Order (DCO) be accepted by the Planning Inspectorate for examination, the Applicant has a duty to notify the Council when providing information on how to register as an Interested Party for the purpose of the process. In a meantime the Council can get involved in the focused statutory consultation under section 42(1) of the Planning Act 2008 (PA 2008) which is Orsted Hornsea Project Three (UK) Ltd is conducting now until 30 March 2018. The Applicant is required to have a regard to all consultation responses which should be later provided in the Consultation Report as part of the DCO application.

The process under the PA 2008 has been designed to allow members of the public and statutory stakeholders to participate in examination of all DCO applications. During the examination of an application the Examining Authority (ExA) has a duty to take into account all matters assessed by the Applicant in the Environmental Statement and may ask additional questions as required. The ExA will invite local planning authorities to submit the Local Impact Reports which give details of the likely impact of the proposed development on the authorities’ area. Please see the link: Advice note 1: Local Impact Reports.

Please be assured that anyone interested in the proposed development, its potential impacts and any planning matters can be fully engaged in the examination process.

More information is provided in the Planning Inspectorate’s Advice notes Advice Note 8: Overview of the nationally significant infrastructure planning process for members of the public and others, and at the current pre-application stage we would recommend especially Advice note 8.1. Responding to the developer’s pre-application consultation and Advice Note 8.2. How to register to participate in an Examination. By submitting a Relevant Representation during the pre-examination stage the Council is in position to highlight particular planning matters such as effects on the road infrastructure that you have mentioned in your email.

Paul Killingback

Mr Hannan submitted a copy of his objection to the Oulton Airfield construction compound, sent to Orsted.
Thank you for your email in relation to the above project.

A copy of your objection has been placed on our records. However, we would strongly encourage you to continue your dialogue with the developer to make your concerns known and to influence the project as, under Section 49 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended), the developer has a duty to demonstrate it has had regard to responses received.

If an application for development consent is formally accepted by the Secretary of State, as you point out, you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during their examination.

Rob Hannan

Project update meeting
Please see attached

Hornsea Project Three - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Orsted - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Ørsted (previously DONG Energy) - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached note.

Ørsted Hornsea Project Three (UK) Ltd - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

DONG Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

DONG Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note.

DONG Energy - Stuart Livesey

The Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm is currently at the pre-application stage, the first of the six stages of the national infrastructure planning process and having read Advice notes 8.1 – 8.5 on your website I am fully aware that at the pre-application stage concerns of local residents should be addressed to the developer DONG Energy. This I have done by making representations under the Phase 1.b Community Consultation to DONG Energy as a 26 page report entitled: ‘HORNSEA PROJECT THREE OFFSHORE WIND FARM, REPORT REGARDING POTENTIAL CANDIDATE SITE FOR HVAC BOOSTER STATION AT POND HILLS, NORFOLK – OPTION A’, dated March 2017.

I understand that after the Planning Inspectorate has accepted the application I will be able to register as an interested party at the pre-examination stage and make representations to you at the examination stage. This I intend to do when I will forward you a copy of the above report.

Advice note 8.1 advises “it is not normally possible for substantial changes to be made to an application once it has been submitted. So, if you want to influence the project, you should take part in the developer’s pre-application consultation process”.

It is on the basis of this advice that I reproduce below for your attention an extract from my report to DONG Energy regarding their site search and selection methodology for the HVAC booster station:

“18. Methodology Used to Identify Potential Sites for the HVAC Booster Station
Section 9.3 of Hornsea Project Three Offshore Wind Farm, Phase 1.b Consultation Event Overview, Spring 2017 (available at [attachment 1] ) states that the three potential sites for locating the HVAC booster station were determined by Dong Energy’s constraint mapping exercise and initial feedback from informal consultation. The lighter the segment the less constrained the area is and the more suitable it is considered to be. The heatmap for the onshore HVAC booster station (available at [attachment 2] ) shows the most and least constrained areas within the onshore HVAC booster station search based upon overlaying maps of areas of outstanding natural beauty, historic parks and gardens, listed buildings and scheduled monuments, distance to residential properties, woodland (including ancient woodland), county wildlife sites, watercourses, Ramsar/SSSIs/ SACs/SPAs.

This exercise is flawed in that it does not recognise locations of high landscape value, conservation areas, locations where visual intrusion would be unacceptable, locations where a HVAC booster station would be totally out of character with the environmental setting, locations of high tranquillity, and remote areas renowned for their beauty and special character such as Pond Hills. Identifying the least constrained areas using Dong Energy’s heat map is a desk-top study that has resulted in identifying remote rural areas, many of which may well need protecting to preserve their remote rural character, and suffers from a lack of local knowledge.”

Using Dong's search methodology would mean that no large electrical sub-station would ever be sited within towns and cities, when this is clearly not the case.

As a substantial industrial development the booster station would be alien to the proposed setting at Pond Hills and be in highly discordant contrast to its surroundings.
I note that the Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm development identified 29 sites for the Intermediate Electrical Compound that were shortlisted to 3 sites, and 19 sites for the new substation that were shortlisted to 4 sites. Did DONG Energy look at more than the 3 sites put forward?

Whilst I appreciate that now is not the time for me to make representations to the Planning Inspectorate, given that this is such a fundamental issue, I just wish to ensure that DONG Energy’s site search and selection methodology for the location of the HVAC booster station is acceptable to the Planning Inspectorate at this stage of the process in assessing alternatives.
Please see attached letter

Dr. William Brian Ankers

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

DONG Energy - Stuart Livesey

Query regarding the inclusion of St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath District Councils in the Regulation 9 list issued to the Applicant with the Scoping Opinion.
The Planning Inspectorate confirmed that checked the reasoning for the inclusion of Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury District Councils in the Regulation 9 list. On the basis of the shapefile submitted at scoping, our GIS system classes Breckland as a host authority because the cable corridor just goes into the district. Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury District Councils are therefore identified as adjoining authorities which is why they appear on the list. It is up to DONG’s discretion as to whether these authorities are consulted but you may wish to consult on a precautionary basis. If the shapefile received at the point when the application is submitted still shows the cable route going into the Breckland district, Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury District Councils would be contacted to seek their views on the adequacy of consultation carried out by DONG (see section 55(4)(b) of the Planning Act 2008).

Dong Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project meeting update
Please see attached meeting note

Dong Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see the attached meeting note

Dong Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
See attached meeting note

DONG Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Stuart Livesey

Request for comments on the draft SoCC
Thank you for your time this afternoon. As promised, please see attached our comments on your draft SoCC from a procedural point of view, set out as a table against specific requirements / guidance.

We’ve focused on checking against the requirements of the Planning Act and secondary legislation and highlighting areas of guidance you may wish to consider in discussion with the relevant local authorities. As I know you’re already aware, do ensure you demonstrate in your subsequent consultation report, how you meet the requirements of sections 47 and 49 the Planning Act by having regard to representations made on the draft SoCC and the consultations themselves.

Dong Energy - Stuart Livesey

Project update meeting
See attached meeting note

Dong Energy - Stuart Livesey

Update meeting between the Applicant and the Planning Inspectorate
See meeting note

Dong Energy - Tracey Siddle

Inception meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Dong Energy - Tracey Siddle