Clarification on how the transmission system issue will be represented to the Secretary of State In the early stages of this enquiry N2RS - along with North Norfolk District Council, Norfolk County Council, the CPRE and others – asked the applicant to counteract suggestions that the HVDC transmission system which formed part of the project design might not be deliverable. Reassurances were subsequently given along with confirmation that any U-turn back to the more environmentally damaging HVAC system would require a material change and interested parties were left in little doubt about the applicant’s intention to honour its much welcomed commitment to HVDC. As the examination nears an end N2RS would like to understand whether the final report to be submitted to the Secretary of State will include reference to the choice of transmission system and the discussions that ensued? We feel it is important that the Secretary of State is fully aware of the extent to which this decision to use HVDC technology has informed public opinion, increased acceptability and shaped the examination. Although a number of other unresolved issues are now, quite rightly, taking centre stage, we should not lose sight of the significance of this commitment to less environmentally damaging technology and the role it will play in mitigation. Conversely if its importance is not appreciated, the impact of any reversal to HVAC could not be fully understood by the Secretary of State. Could the Planning Inspectorate also advise whether the final report with its recommendations and accompanying detail will be in the public domain?
The Examining Authority’s (ExA) report will consider the application as submitted, along with proposed changes to the application accepted by the ExA on 25 April 2019, as well as submissions from parties made throughout the Examination. The ExA’s Recommendation Report will be published on the Norfolk Vanguard project page of the National Infrastructure Planning website at the same time as the Secretary of State’s decision.

N2RS - Beverley Wigg

We have missed the official deadline (yesterday!) to register as an interested party for the Norfolk Vanguard project.

Equinor is the operator of the Dudgeon windfarm and as such, we have significant interest in the project - in land owned in Necton. And the Dudgeon cable that will be crossed by Vanguard project.

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing back from you.
I confirm receipt of your submission.

As you are aware the opportunity to register and submit a relevant representation has passed.

Your current status in the examination as a party with land affected by the development is an ‘affected person’. As such, you will automatically become registered as an Interested Party.

Details of the land affected by the proposed development can be found in the applicants Book of Reference document.

As this submission was received after the close of the relevant representation period (16 September 2018) it will be presented to the Examining Authority, who has discretion to accept the information into the examination as an additional submission.

Details of the examination process can be found in our advice notes. You may find Advice Note 8.4: The Examination, to be useful as an overview of the examination process.

Equinor UK Ltd - Hannah Mary Goodlad

I spoke to a Planning Inspectorate advisor this morning to apologise for Great Yarmouth BC missing last night’s deadline for submitting a registration of interest in the examination (due to an internal misunderstanding). She indicated that it would likely be acceptable for the Council to send its submission this morning, which I am extremely grateful for, and it is attached.
As you are aware the opportunity to register and submit a relevant representation has passed.

Your current status in the examination is a ‘statutory party’ (a Local Authority bordering the Local Authorities in which the development is proposed aka an ‘a’ authority), as such you will not automatically become an Interested Party.

However, as a statutory party you will receive an invitation to the Preliminary Meeting (PM) and a copy of the examination timetable. Following the PM, you will have a further opportunity to notify the ExA that you wish to be treated as an Interested Party. You will then receive all correspondence during the examination.

As this submission was received after the close of the relevant representation period (16 September 2018) it will be presented to the Examining Authority, who has discretion to accept the information into the examination as an additional submission.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council - Adam Nicholls

I have noticed that the relevant representations letter sent 7th Sept was not formatted as I would expect. Please find attached a revised letter which, although the points made are unchanged formatting has been corrected for ease of the reader. I would like to withdraw the earlier letter submitted Sept 7th and replace it with the one attached if this is acceptable?
As this submission was received after the close of the relevant representations period (16 September 2018) it will be presented to the Examining Authority, who has discretion to accept information in to the examination as an additional submission.

Environment Agency - Barbara Moss-Taylor

Necton Parish Council query the adequacy of the applicant's pre-application community consultation.
See attached document.

anon.

The enquirer submitted representations regarding the merits of the proposed development to the Planning Inspectorate.
The application was submitted to Planning Inspectorate on 26 June 2018. Beginning on the day after it was submitted the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State) has 28 calendar days to decide whether the application can be accepted for examination.

The Acceptance decision must therefore be taken on or before 24 July 2018. The decision will be published on the project webpage, here:

[attachment 1]

If the application is accepted, the following documents will also be published on the project webpage:

• Any Adequacy of Consultation Representations submitted by relevant local authorities.
• The Planning Inspectorate’s Acceptance Checklist.

The Acceptance tests

Section 55 of the Planning Act 2008 (PA2008) states what the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, must have regard to when taking its decision about whether to accept an application:

a) The Consultation Report received with the application.
b) Any Adequacy of Consultation Representations received by the Planning Inspectorate from a local authority consultee.
c) The extent to which the Applicant has had regard to government guidance.

Comments about the merits of the Proposed Development (eg setting out support for or objection to the principle of the Proposed Development) cannot be considered at the Acceptance stage. If the application is accepted for examination, in order to make comments about the merits of the Proposed Development to an appointed Examining Authority, you will need to register as an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation at the appropriate time. For more information about how and when you can have your say, please see our Advice Note 8.2: How to register to participate in an Examination: [attachment 2]

Once registered as an Interested Party, you will be invited to: attend the Preliminary Meeting, attend any scheduled hearings, attend the Accompanied Site Inspection(s) and submit written representations. In addition to this, you can request that the Examining Authority holds an Open Floor Hearing where you can raise concerns about the project, which can include those set out in your email.

Jenny Smedley

I’ve just been on your web-site and cannot find any supporting documentation to the submitted DCO (i.e. the EIA etc).

When do you expect have all these documents downloaded onto the web-site?
The suite of application documents is currently in the process of being prepared ahead of publication as soon as practically possible.

We anticipate that the full suite will be available to view on the project page early next week. However, if it’s published sooner, I will let you know.

Norfolk County Council - Stephen Faulkner

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

Project Update Meeting
Please see attached

Vattenfall - Vattenfall

Rather than keep trying via the phone, here are the points that I wanted to discuss with you. I have converted them into questions below for ease. My questions do not seem to be answerable from the advice notes 8.3 or the faq on your website.

N2RS
Firstly, as you may be aware, I am contacting you on behalf of the N2RS Committee. My job is to deal with processes, timescales and procedures.
With a membership of around 1000, N2RS is continuing to track the progress of the Vanguard Project. Our supporters cover mainly North Norfolk and include others from further afield.

We are working co-operatively with local authority elected Members, our local MP Norman Lamb and landowner representatives.

It is our intention to continue a close watching brief on the progress of the project and to campaign where necessary. We have several media platforms running (N2RS website, Facebook and Twitter).
Given that the likely acceptance of the application will occur in July 2018, we wish to ask you for help with our scheduling and forward planning specifically to avoid the issue of people with an interest in the procedures being away because of the summer holiday period. We also have people working in the tourism business. The questions we have are as follows:
Q Roughly when will the time-limited period to register online as an Interested Party be given the proximity to the summer holiday season?
Q If N2RS registers as a single organisation, how many core committee members will be allowed to attend the preliminary/subsequent meetings?
Q Are there any objections to multiple applications from N2RS should that be necessary in order to have attendance at meetings?
Q Roughly when can we expect the preliminary meeting to be scheduled? (we are asking because the written advice suggests that only about 3 weeks’ notice is given).
Q Ditto the subsequent meeting(s).
Thank you for your email, apologies we kept missing each other on the telephone.

I have responded to your queries in the order you have raised them;

1. Should the application be accepted for the Examination, the Applicant has a duty to advertise the Relevant Representations period and provide details about how to register to become an Interested Party. The registration period must be at least 28 days and the publicity notice will clearly tell you when the deadline is. The easiest way to become an Interested Party is to complete the form online via the project’s page of the National Infrastructure Planning website. Depending on the date of when the application is accepted (the Secretary of State has a deadline of 28 days from receipt of application to make this decision so if this is received at the end of June, the acceptance decision wouldn’t be made until the end of July). If accepted, the Applicant is then required to certify compliance and notify of the acceptance which is when they will provide the period for registering relevant representations. The Applicant may consider and impact of this over the holiday period and provide a longer period for registration but please note there is no requirement for them to do so.
Some people will automatically become an Interested Party because they are landowners or have an interest in land affected by the application. This information will be provided in a Book of Reference supplied by the Applicant. They will be notified throughout the application process, but are also welcome to register via a Relevant Representation form so that their views can be made available to the Examining Authority at an early stage.

2. There is no limit on the number of N2RS core committee members that can attend the Preliminary Meeting or any subsequent hearings. However, in order to accommodate all Interested Parties and any members of the public wishing to attend the events, we would appreciate if you could inform us well in advance of those people who wish to attend. Details of this will be requested from anyone who has registered at the time. The agendas for all events will be published around seven days beforehand and that will allow N2RS members to decide if attending the hearing will be beneficial to them.

3. There is no requirement to provide multiple representations from N2RS in order to attend the hearings as if N2RS registers as an Interested Party, then it will be able to fully participate in the examination process: submit written representations and provide comments on all application documents and other documents submitted by other parties, respond to the Examining Authority’s written questions on behalf of N2RS. If members of the N2RS however wish to be individually recognised as an Interested Party in their own capacity then they will need to register a relevant representation separately which must include a summary of points which they agree and/or disagree with about the application, highlighting what they consider to be the main issues and impacts.

4. The formal notification of the Preliminary Meeting will be issued at least 21 days before its date, in a letter called the Rule 6 letter. The Preliminary Meeting marks the end of the formal pre-examination stage. However, that stage lasts around three months to allow the Applicant and the Inspectorate to fulfil their statutory duties.

5. The draft Examination timetable will also be issued in the Rule 6 letter and this will set out when the dates for the ExA’s procedural decisions, deadlines for written submissions etc, along with the dates of any hearings and site inspections scheduled to take place during the 6 month examination. The finalised Examination timetable will then be issued around 7 days after the close of the Preliminary Meeting. The agendas for individual hearings will be published nearer the time and usually around 7 days before the hearings.

If you have not already done so, you might find it helpful to view the online videos we have available explaining the DCO application process.

Please note, in accordance with Section 51 of the PA2008, a copy of your email and our advice will be published on the Norfolk Vanguard project’s webpage of the National Infrastructure Website.

N2RS - Katie Taylor

Project update meeting
See attached meeting note

Vattenfall - anon.

What policing has gone on regarding Vattenfall in Norfolk during consultation in which they did not behave correctly? Project still going ahead revised plans a no relay Stations HDVC , please can you provide information
The Applicant is required to produce a consultation report detailing how they have complied with the consultation requirements of sections 42, 47 and 48 of the Planning Act 2008. This should be submitted with the application and will be checked, along with the other application documents, as part of the Acceptance process.

Wendy Englestone

Please see attached
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. The Applicant, Vattenfall Wind Power Ltd, has recently consulted on their proposed development and, while this closed on 11 December 2017, you may wish to contact them to give them your views, including on your preferred transmission technology.

National Policy Statements (NPS) set out Government policy which the Secretary of State is required to take into account when determining a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. The overarching NPS for Energy (EN-1) recognises that virtually all nationally significant energy infrastructure will have effects on the landscape but the aim should be to minimise harm to the landscape, having regard to siting, operational and other relevant constraints and provide reasonable mitigation where possible. EN-1 also requires the Applicant to carry out a landscape and visual assessment and report it in the Environmental Statement which will be submitted as part of the application.

Once an application is made (currently anticipated to be in Q2 2018), the Inspectorate will have 28 days to decide whether to accept the application for Examination. A copy of your correspondence has been placed on our records and will be presented to the Inspector at the Acceptance stage, together with the application documents and local authorities’ comments on the Applicant’s consultation.
After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

Little Dunham Parish Council - Simon Fowler

This is a bit of a lateral question in a way, but something that puzzles us greatly. Can you tell us why in a lot of the Vattenfall documents (SOCC and PEIR for instance) the Secretary of State refers to the life of the projects as being 50 years? Vattenfall say 25 years.

I hope you can help us understand.
Thank you for your email. The SoCC and PEIR are the Applicant’s documents and therefore the Secretary of State would not have stated anything within these. I note from the Applicant’s PEIR that they state the design life of the project is 25 years.

Jenny Smedley

Please find attached my letter outlining my objections to Vattenfall's flawed proposal to put two huge substation at Necton/Ivy Todd in Norfolk. Please also find attached Necton Substation Action Group's objection document, which goes into wider detail. I look forward to hearing from you, thank you.
Thank you for your email. As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate) all responses to the Applicant’s consultation should be sent directly to them. We have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf therefore I would encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We have also published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

H Phoenix

Please find attached the report we commissioned from BLB Utilities on the alternative site we suggested to Vattenfall. This was paid for with donations from the residents of Necton. It has been send direct to Vattenfall, and will of course also go to other relevant bodies.
Thank you for your email. As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We have also published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Necton Substation Action Group - anon.

I would like to add my name to what I believe is a growing list of people concerned with the potential adverse effects on the environment of Norfolk by the increasing amount of onshore infrastructure inflicted on the County for offshore windfarms. My personal concern being Vattenfalls Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas offshore windfarms and the location of the onshore substation at Necton.
I believe that Vattenfall, et al are riding roughshod over the Norfolk populace by hiding behind an outdated mandate used by the National Grid. This is resulting in, among other things, the ludicrous cable routing and crossing issues ensuing between Vattenfall and Dong near Salle. Plus the building of huge onshore substations in totally inappropriate locations.
In addition I am very concerned that companies such as Vattenfall are being economical with the truth when explaining/indoctrinating local people on their consultations.
Despite what is said, in usually patronising terms, local people have no real say in determining the final outcome of such consultations. Companies such as Vattenfall do them purely as a paper exercise because they are required to consult, without actually heeding too much to local opinion. To them we are a nuisance to be brushed aside.
They are not doing these projects to be altruistic and save the world. They do them to make money. And by the way, Vattenfall, which is owned by the Swedish Government, also build coal fired power stations. Are they being selective in which parts of the world they want to save? Or is it all down to money?
Thank you for your email. As the projects have not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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 applications for Examination.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the applications for Examination all documents used to inform the decisions will be published on our website. If the applications for development consent are formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the projects which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examinations. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We have also published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Tony Smedley

Below is a copy of my email to Vattenfall. Astonishingly, Necton and Ivy Todd residents haven't been given any graphical projection as to what we are really talking about in terms of mass and position. I would hope that we can look forward to this information.

Dear Vattenfall

I am writing to ask if you would please supply us with aerial views, accurately plotting the positions of the 4 proposed sitings, to scale.

So far, there haven't been any simulations to show the mass, the perspective from the villages, in order to gain an insight as to what is being proposed. We need graphics to be able to understand the actual impact the substations will have. Your photomontages show small distant views which do not serve the purpose of letting residents clearly see the true impact of the proposals. We need the views to represent Necton and Ivy Todd, with the inclusion of the properties which will be worst affected, and showing the substations in relation to the properties.

I was astounded at the July presentation at Swaffham, that your photomontages were so inadequate, and were, what I felt to be less than truly representative and transparent.

Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Diana Lockwood
Thank you for the copy of your email to Vattenfall. As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. You are doing what we would encourage you to do, which is to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1].

We have also published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Diana Lockwood

I am contacting you on behalf of Holme Hale Parish Council in Norfolk who have an interest in the proposals coming forward from Vattenfall concerning the development of the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore windfarm. In particular, councillors are seeking information as to whether the parish council would be regarded as a statutory consultee for this project (as prescribed in Schedule 1 of the Infrastructure Planning Regulations 2009) with whom the developer has a duty to consult, as prescribed under s.42 of the Planning Act 2008?
This development is a large scale project and the proposals are likely to have a significant impact upon the landowners and parishioners in the local communities like Holme Hale. As such, councillors in Holme Hale would wish to be included in the statutory consultation phase/process relating to the application from Norfolk Vanguard.

Any help you can give in relation to this matter would be most appreciated.
Thank you for your email. We can confirm that, on the information provided to us by Vattenfall when they submitted their Scoping Report to the Planning Inspectorate, Holme Hale Parish Council are a statutory consultee as prescribed in Schedule 1 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009. You should have a received a letter from us, dated 5 October 2016, advising that the Secretary of State had identified Holme Hale Parish Council as a consultation body for the scoping opinion and inviting comments on the information to be provided in the Environmental Statement.

However, regardless of the information above anyone, with an interest in the project, whether they are a statutory consultee or not, is encouraged to respond to the consultation.

Holme Hale Parish Council - Ron Graham

Could you please clarify for us the position of our Parish Council in respect to the above project?

You already kindly said this in a previous email: “Parish Councils are one of the bodies we would expect the developer to engage with at the pre-application stage.” (their pre-application stage started 7th October and will run to 11th December – according to Norfolk County Council ).

However, despite this our Parish Council are still saying “"when the planning application is presented, this Council will be in a position to deliberate and make decisions", a quote from their minutes which seems to indicate that they still believe that they are not allowed to make any comments on suitability or otherwise of sitings until after planning application is put it, by which time of course it will be too late.

Could you be very kind and clarify things for us from your point of view?
We understand from the Applicant that they have engaged fully with the local parish councils. Statutory consultation for the Norfolk Vanguard project will open on 7 November and run until 11 December 2017 and all members of the community, including parish councils, are encouraged to participate and respond to the consultation material provided by the Applicant.

Jenny Smedley

My late father came to xxxx, Necton in 1956, and I have lived and worked here all of my life.
The proposed Norfolk Vanguard Substation site would be closest to my home and also too close to many other homes. No body wants it here, spoiling a peaceful rural area which provides much habitat for wildlife and productive farmland. People choose to live here because they want the quiet surroundings it offers.

As I am farming on a relatively small scale, it is becoming financially necessary to look at farm diversification. I have been looking into offering bespoke holiday accommodation and in particular maximising the asset of our tranquil rural countryside.
I consider the location of my farm very important to my livelihood, and the potential to offer rural retreats, away from noise and pressures of everyday life, would be lost.
Necton already has the Dudgeon Substation and the far reaching views across my fields have been spoilt; I do not want more large structures encroaching my view, especially when even closer to xxxx.

What can be done to protect my potential farm diversification plans and earnings?
Planting tall screening to try and hide the substation would restrict views and would not compensate for such a terrible loss of countryside.

My mother, aged 82, does not want this industrial monstrosity so close to her home, she is very worried, as this would change and spoil the area where she has lived for 61 years.

Property devaluation (obviously, any houses in close proximity to giant substations would be much less desirable ) would also effect the potential development of a range of old farm buildings, which would not be viable anymore.

There is a small stream, tributary of the river Wissey, running along side my house which regularly floods into the adjoining road, and in 1982 after prolonged heavy rain, flooded the ground floor of the house.

This small watercourse would need significant work to enable it to cope with excess run off water from the substation and to protect an area already prone to flooding. Land drains stop this land being waterlogged, so it is not an ideal site for infrastructure, and I am very concerned of further flood risk.
This is a real worry, can it be guaranteed this would not flood our house again?

The EMF of this substation is very concerning due to its enormity The biological effectof EMFs is currently under debate and still a controversial issue. Is comparable data even available for a site of this size? .

Background noise is another concern, a hum would be especially noticeable in the quiet of night or crackleing in damp weather . This would be unacceptable and a cause anxiety which can also impact health. There was a misunderstanding regarding background noise monitoring carried out on behalf of Vattenfall so I can only hope their results are accurate. Can it be guaranteed there would be no background noise hum or crackle?

xxxx wants to sell his farm to Vattenfall, (I think 172 acres) but they have declined to purchase. Please could you look into this? It is close to Vattenfall's preferred connection point and further away from the many residents of Ivy Todd, Necton and Necton Village. It does however affect the residents of xxxx, who have recently moved there, but overall this seems a better option.

Infrastructure of this scale and capacity shouldn't be cited so close to any populated area. It is too invasive, but the worst thing for me would be to walk a short distance from my house, along a farm track, and instead of wonderful field views see an ugly industrialised area of massive substations.

If Norfolk Vanguard receives development consent then Boreas will be sure to follow and how many more? We do not want Necton surrounded by Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

The stress of many years of construction disturbance and then to have the imposition of living next to this intrusive site is causing much distress and anxiety to both myself and my mother.
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We also recently published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Colin King

I came to **** in 1956 with my husband, the farm has been my life, providing work place and home, where we raised 3 children.

My husband passed away in 2010 and I now live here with my son and we rely on farming our 80 acres for income, which is becoming more difficult to achieve due to changing markets etc.

I am very upset, that without our agreement, this massive substation can violate the quality of my life by ruining the beautiful location of our home. We are looking into farm diversification ideas too, which rely on the peaceful, rural nature of where we live.

Our house was flooded in 1982, as the adjacent stream could not contain excessive storm water. I am very concerned about increased flood risk, will there be more run off water from the substation than our stream can cope with?

I am retired and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of my life here, and strongly object to Vattenfall building giant substations so close by.
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We also recently published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Margaret King

Project update meeting
See attached meeting note

Vattenfall - anon.

I have lived in Necton for over twenty years now and have always enjoyed village life and loved living with open views and rolling countryside.
When Dudgeon substation came along as a whole residents had no conception of how much land would be taken up by this huge monstrosity
and I, as one that overlooks the present one, have been affected for the past three years with noise and light pollution. With full blackout
curtains searchlights, which were left on continually overnight, lit up my bedroom despite various promises and apologies this problem
continued. Of course, as the hedgerows are lowered and the winter months approach bringing lacing to the hedgerows we will view more of
this substation. Of course we then had our lanes and roads dug up to accommodate the underground electrical cabling which went on and on
and on.
Vattenfall who also now want to invade our village of course say they are very aware of environmental issues, respect the wishes of residents, etc.
etc., have listened and have 'learned from the Dudgeon mistakes' - I DON'T THINK SO! We are now at the pre-application stage and have been
told that no views can be taken into consideration until the application has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate - of course this gives no time
for changes.
Two very obvious alternative sites have been put before Vattenfall by Necton Substations Action Group as very much more suitable positions which
are away from villages. We are not prepared to sit down and be bullied by these people who put profit before people and the environment.

The Vattenfall proposal is much larger than the Dudgeon site which I understand will in total take up 70 acres and be 80ft high. How can anybody
in their right mind give the OK for our village, or any other, to be invaded and spoilt forever by these people. I understand these substations have
a very limited life so, of course, once all this countryside has been concreted over we are left with large areas of farmland which can then only be used
for industrial purposes - GREAT!

Has anyone got the message yet - WE DON'T WANT ANY MORE SUBSTATIONS - WE'VE DONE OUR BIT.
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I note you have contacted the developer directly and we would encourage you to do this to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available here: [attachment 1].

You may also wish to see our compilation of advice about the Pre-application procedure and community consultation: [attachment 2]

Edna Greening

We are writing to all concerned regarding the proposed location for Vattenfalls Substation which they hope to site close to Necton Village.
We are deeply concerned that Vattenfall are still hell bent on siting this monstrosity so close to a rural village. It is a quiet village consisting of a large percentage of retired and elderly residents who are distressed that their way of life will be ruined by siting this substation close to residential properties.
There is also a primary school which will also be affected - who knows what impact this will have on young lives.
We feel our complaint is justified especially as two other sites have been put forward for consideration that would have little or no impact on peoples lives and way of living.
One site - 185 acres at Top Farm is available for purchase by the owner who contacted Vattenfall . Joe Hill had thought they were definitely buying it, but had then heard no more until VF announced their preferred site on the land that is NOT for sale on Necton Farm (close to Ivy Todd). Necton Farm is not for sale and would therefore have to be subject to a compulsory purchase. This seems madness !
Top farm would be an appropriate site because it has no flooding issues, it is closer to the pylon than Necton Farm would be. It also has natural landscaping and topography . The structures would not been seen from Necton, Holme Hale, West End or Ivy Todd.

Other alternative sites would be near Scarning as proposed by Tony Smedley. One site would be close to the cable corridor at a crossing point on the A47.
The other site being beyond this one down Watery Lane where there is land on either side of the road. This total lot being 165 acres which is for sale on the open market.
Both sites at Scarning are sparsely populated and would have little or no impact on peoples lives. So why does Vattenfall refuse to consider these sites?

Why also is Necton Parish Council only able to speak against the proposals once the planning applications have gone in. By that time it is too late for them to make any objections as the chosen site would by then be impossible to change. This to us seems extremely unfair and biased. This means that Vattenfall have no consideration for the lives of the people who live in Necton and the impact on them.
Why are our human rights not being considered ???

We have sent various emails to Vattenfall in the past but have never had any reply from them. Only an automatic reply saying they will get back to us.
It shows their contempt for the people of Necton. !!
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I note you have contacted the developer directly and we would encourage you to do this to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views, as well as any Parish Council’s views, into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available here: [attachment 1].

You may also wish to see our compilation of advice about the Pre-application procedure and community consultation: [attachment 2]

Roy and Angela Campbell

This is a general question on Projects of National Importance and the Statutory Consultations that I hope you can help with, as to us people ‘on the ground’ these parts of the process are most puzzling and, a lot of the time, most infuriating.

Can you tell us why the very people who should be available to represent the residents at this time, and those with the most knowledge of the village in general, and it’s needs, are effectively gagged by the consultation process?

I’m talking about our Parish Councils, who are apparently, only able to speak for or against a proposal, once siting has been decided and planning permission has been applied for.

It seems totally bizarre to us that our PC are not allowed to give an opinions, good or bad, on the various proposals being considered for planning applications. Because of course by the time planning applications go in, the site has been refined and chosen and would be, at that stage, almost impossible to change.

Surely the PC, as our representative body, should be consulted, and allowed to represent Necton, before the final site is chosen, ie before planning is applied for, as afterwards it is far too late for them to have any useful input.

Please can you help us with this, as it has caused terrible dissent and fracturing of the society of our village because so many people think that the PC is not responding by choice, and don’t understand that they are effectively gagged by the terms of the consultation process?
Parish Councils are one of the bodies we would expect the developer to engage with at the pre-application stage. As advised previously, as the projects have not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf therefore if the Parish Council has concerns about the consultation process then they should contact the developer directly to make their concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take their views into account. If the Parish Council feels their views are not being taken into account I would advise them to contact the local authority.

Jenny Smedley

When does the inspectors work start officially? Is there a public announcement and can members of the public attend.
Once an application has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate we have 28 days to decide whether it is of a satisfactory standard to be examined. An Acceptance Inspector, along with the Case Team, will check the application against the statutory Acceptance tests under section 55 of the Planning Act 2008, on behalf of the Secretary of State. This process is not open to the public, however we will invite the host and neighbouring local authorities to submit a representation on the adequacy of consultation. We will also pass the Acceptance Inspector all correspondence that we have received in the pre-application period. Our website will be updated to advise the public that an application has been received and, if the applicant agrees, the application documents will be published on our website.

Katie Taylor

I know that residents are not normally involved in the consultation process until the decisions have been made, and with my neighbours, I have been collating the regular lack of publicity and invitations to information sessions. I live a mere 200m from one of the proposed sites and with my neighbours, were not included in invitations to an information evening about the proposed “Cable Relay Station” which will have a huge impact and blight on our lives and businesses.

However, on Friday I became aware of some rather alarming news;

A little while ago Vattenfall changed the dates of publication of the PEIA and thereby appear to have engineered a situation where the report is too late for discussion in Council meetings in November and too early for the meeting in December.

In County Council speak; the result of this is that the consultation period (27/10 - 4/12) does not fit into any of the County Council’s scheduled Environmental Development and Transport Committee dates and will therefore be taken as an “urgent Decision”, i.e. decision to be taken by Chief Officer (Executive Director of Community and Environmental Services in consultation with the EDT Committee Chair and Vice Chair.

This means Norfolk County Council is going to use delegated powers to process the statutory response to the inspectorate. As I see it, this tactic avoids public scrutiny via Cabinet. At the Cabinet meeting at NNDC last week where the Dong application was discussed many councillors only became aware of issues because well informed members of the public were able to speak. As mentioned above, I am really concerned that the publicity of the Vattenfall proposal has been limited and many people are just not yet aware of the huge scope of this project, or the choices available. One of my neighbours visited the building associated with the Sheringham Shoal offshore generation and described it as more akin to a nuclear power station and the constant hum being very intrusive.

So, not only is Norfolk facing two/three huge infrastructure projects (with probably more to follow), but the dates of one of them is resulting in an absence of the normal public scrutiny………!

I can’t believe that Norfolk residents are being hoodwinked in such a callous manner.

Do you have any powers to ensure that there is full, open and proper public consultation on such an important issue?
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly.

The Norfolk Vanguard draft Statement of Community Consultation is currently with Norfolk County Council for consultation. This document sets out how Vattenfall will conduct their statutory consultation and prior to finalisation of their draft it was sent to Norfolk County Council for their feedback. Therefore they have an opportunity to comment on the proposed dates of public consultation.

The statutory consultation period will not be the only opportunity for Norfolk County Council to comment on the proposals. Once the applications are submitted to the Inspectorate the Council will be invited to comment 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.

Local authorities have a very important role in the 2008 Act process. If the Norfolk Vanguard project is accepted for Examination, the Examining Authority will invite Norfolk County Council to submit a Local Impact Report (LIR), which can give details of the likely impact of the proposed development on the authority’s area. In coming to a decision on whether or not to grant consent for the project, the Secretary of State must have regard to any LIRs that are submitted by the deadline. Norfolk County Council will also have an opportunity to submit written representations and make oral representations at hearings.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website. If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination. The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

Geraldine Watson

Vattenfall sent their draft Statement of Community Consultation to the Planning Inspectorate for comment.
Your SoCC states that consultation is open to all with an interest in the project but there is no specific information on how you plan to engage with hard to reach communities. You may wish to consider how your SoCC, and in due course, your Consultation Report, demonstrates your strategy for such groups, for example, groups that have limited literacy skills or due to disabilities are unable to partake in your public events.

Please note that the SoCC needs to be published in such a manner that may be prescribed to comply with s47(6)(b) of the Act.

Vattenfall - anon.

There is a lot of deep mistrust of Vattenfall's reference to the standards/guidelines relating to visuals/graphics being used to 'demonstrate' the impact of the Norfolk Vanguard on shore installations. We were told that guidance was being adhered to. We believe they are referring to Scottish guidelines. Can you help us out here?
The Applicant has notified the Planning Inspectorate of its intent to submit an Environmental Statement (ES) with their applications for these projects. In their scoping report for both projects (available on our website), the Applicant set out their proposed approach to assessing potential landscape and visual impacts and the guidelines they intend to utilise. This includes:

- The Landscape Institute with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (2013). Guidelines for the Assessment of Landscape and Visual Impacts. Third Edition;
- Landscape and Seascape Character Assessments published by Natural England and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2014);
- An Approach to Landscape Character Assessment (2014). Natural England;
- Scottish Natural Heritage (2012). Assessing the Cumulative Impact of Onshore Wind Energy Developments;
- Scottish Natural Heritage (December 2014). Visual Representation of Wind Farms: Version 2.1; and
- The Landscape Institute (2011). Landscape Institute Advice Note 01/11, Photography and photomontage in landscape and visual impact assessment.

Katie Taylor

I am a member of the Necton Substations Action Group and have found your contact details from the group, as I can't find a link to register my interest with the Planning Inspectorate.

I am extremely concerned about the proposed sittings of Vattenfall's Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas, and the National Grid Extension, at Necton, Norfolk.

I strongly believe Necton is the wrong area for these Nationally Significant infrastructure Projects and attach my thoughts, reasoning and and opinions.

Please can these be looked at and taken into consideration at this crucial pre application stage?

(See attachment)
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website.
If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination.
The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1]

We also recently published a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding Pre-application consultation and this can be viewed on our website here: [attachment 2].

Patricia Lockwood

Project update meeting
See attached meeting note

Vattenfall - Ruari Lean

Comments regarding the Norfolk Vanguard project from the following:
Sue Allen received on 14 July 2017
Wendy Englestone 19 July 2017
Peter Woodings and Paula Woodings 21 July 2017
Wendy Englestone 2 and 3 August 2017
Tina Hicks 3 August 2017
Jenny Smedley 4 August 2017
Margaret Woodall 4 August 2017
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. However, if you feel your comments are not being taken into account, I would advise you to write to your local authority and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination all documents used to inform the decision will be published on our website.

If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination.

The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1].

See below

Query regarding the role of local authorities in NSIP applications
As discussed here is a link to our Advice Note 2 concerning the role of local authorities in the development consent process: [attachment 1]

Katie Taylor

I live at Fox Hill Ruston Norwich Norfolk. I recently learned that a proposed cable relay station may be built very close to where I live. Please could you give me as much information as possible! On how this is possible that a company can propose to do this , this sight is so beautiful! Or is this a case of it will happen any way because the alternative is too expensive, eating into profit. I am all for greener energy! Wind solar ! But I do not want to see this beautiful part of Norfolk trashed !
Your comments may relate to the proposals for the Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm project. Once the project has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate) you will have an opportunity to register your interest in the application and make representations to us. However the project has not yet been submitted to the Inspectorate and therefore I would encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account.

Advice about responding to the developer's pre-application consultation can be found here: [attachment 1]

Information about the project can be found on our website: [attachment 2] and the developer's website: [attachment 3]

The developer, Vattenfall, can be contacted by email [email protected] or phone 01603 567995.

Wendy Englestone

(In your previous response) you refer to my local council. To date, having emailed Mr Richard Price (N Norfolk District Council) I have received no reply. I wish to register the ambivalence shown by the local council and the ambivalence of Norman Lamb MP who wrote a general letter taking no position on the issues other than platitudes. To whom does one now refer my concerns as a citizen?
As the project has not yet been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (the Inspectorate), we have no formal powers to intervene on consultees behalf. I would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly to make your concerns heard as the Applicant has a statutory duty to take your views into account. I note that you have already contacted your local authority however, if you feel your views are not being taken into account by the developer I would advise you to write to your local authority again and set out why you think the Applicant is failing to conduct its consultation properly. 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.

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.

After the decision has been made regarding whether to accept the application for Examination, your email will be published on our website together with all documents used to inform the decision.

If the application for development consent is formally accepted you will be able to submit your views in relation to the project which will be considered by the Examining Authority during the Examination.

The Inspectorate has published a series of advice notes which explain the Examination process, including information on how to get involved; of particular interest are advice notes 8.1 to 8.5. These are available at: [attachment 1].

Katie Taylor

I am a member of the community affected by the onshore part of this project. I am involved in a local group which has serious concerns about the project and in particular about the informal consultation process now underway.
If you have concerns about the consultation I would advise, in the first instance, you speak to your local council. I understand that they will shortly/ are currently reviewing the draft Statement of Community Consultation which sets out how the applicant intends to undertake their statutory consultation. Any concerns you may have may then be fed back, via your local council, to the applicant.

Katie Taylor

It has come to my notice that the deadline for Consultation Bodies to respond to the above is 6th June.

What constitutes a Consultation Body?

We are a new action group set up to campaign against cable relay stations in unspoilt countryside. Since Vattenfall’s public consultation so far has been flawed, in terms of reach and transparency, we are playing ‘catch up’ with the planning process. It is not yet clear how we can make our voice be properly heard and I’m not sure whether this imminent deadline should have applied to us.

Please could you advise whether we should be consulting with you and if so on what basis?
A consultation body (‘consultation body’) is defined under The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (as amended) as:

• a body prescribed under s.42(a) and listed in column 1 of the table set out in Schedule 1 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations 2009 (‘the APFP Regulations’) as amended, where the circumstances set out in column 2 are satisfied in respect of that body
• each authority that is within s.43 (‘local authorities’); and
• if the land to which the application, or proposed application, relates or any part of that land is in Greater London, the Greater London Authority.

The Planning Inspectorate’s interpretation of this is explained in our Advice note three and its associated annexe which is available at the following link: [attachment 1]

The action group you describe below would not be considered by the Planning Inspectorate to be a consultation body for the purposes of scoping. At the pre-application stage, we would therefore encourage you to contact the developer directly should you have any comments to make on the proposed development. Information on how you can be involved in the Planning Act 2008 process is contained within our Advice note 8 series which is also available at the link above.

Beverley Wigg

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Vattenfall - anon.

Project meeting update
See attached meeting note

Vattenfal Wind Power ltd - Ruari Lean

Project update meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Vattenfall - Ruari Lean

Inception meeting
Please see attached meeting note

Vattenfall - Ruari Lean