Thanet Extension Offshore Wind Farm

This page sets out the timetable for the examination of the application. It includes the deadlines for submissions to be made to the Planning Inspectorate and the dates of events taking place during the Examination. The Examination Timetable is also set out in an annex to the Rule 8 letter that was sent to Interested Parties at the start of the Examination.

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Event Date	Description
11 December 2018	Examination Begins
11 December 2018	Issue Specific Hearing 1 (ISH1) Issue Specific Hearing 1 (ISH1) ISH1 on International Issues
12 December 2018	Issue Specific Hearing 2 (ISH2) Issue Specific Hearing 2 (ISH2) ISH2 on Marine, Shipping, Navigation and Safety Issues
15 January 2019	Deadline 1 Deadline for receipt of: Comments on Relevant Representations (RRs) Summaries of all RRs exceeding 1500 words Statements of Submission from Other Persons who have not already provided a written summary statement of case Written Representations (WRs) Summaries of all WRs exceeding 1500 words Local Impact Reports from any local authorities Statements of Common Ground (SoCG) requested by the ExA – see Annex E Responses to ExQ1 Comments on updated application documents Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Post hearing submissions including written submissions of oral case Nominations of suggested locations and justifications for site inspections for consideration by the ExA Notification of wish to attend an Accompanied Site Inspection (ASI) Notification from any Affected Person of wish to speak at a Compulsory   Acquisition  Hearing (CAH) Notification of wish to speak at any of the further Issue Specific Hearings (ISHs) Notification of wish to speak at an Open Floor Hearing (OFH) Notification by Statutory Parties of wish to be considered an Interested Party Applicant’s Tracking List of SoCGs and agreements. View the documents received relating to this deadline
05 February 2019	Deadline 2 Deadline for receipt by the ExA of: Comments on WRs and responses to comments on RRs Comments on Statements of Submission from Other Persons Comments on Local Impact Reports Comments on responses to ExQ1 Revised draft DCO from Applicant Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 1 View the documents received relating to this deadline
18 February 2019	Accompanied Site Visit The following land is in scope: Onshore cable alignment locations (Baypoint Sports Club, Crostline and BCA Sports Solutions); The proposed substation site; and The proposed grid connection location in Richborough Energy Park
19 February 2019	Issue Specific 4 (ISH4) Issue Specific Hearing 4 (ISH4) ISH4 on Landscape and Visual, Seascape and Historic Environment Issues
19 February 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 3 (ISH3) Issue Specific Hearing 3 (ISH3) ISH3 on Environmental matters, Ecology, HRA, physical, construction and other matters
19 February 2019	Open Floor Hearing (OFH1) Open Floor Hearing (OFH1) Date reserved to hold an OFH (if required)
20 February 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 5 (ISH5) Issue Specific Hearing 5 (ISH5) ISH5 on Maritime, Shipping, Navigation, Safety and Recreational Sea Use
20 February 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 6 (ISH6) Issue Specific Hearing 6 (ISH6) ISH6 on Fishing and Fisheries
21 February 2019	Compulsory Acquition Hearing (CAH1) Compulsory Acquisition Hearing (CAH1) CAH1 on the Applicant’s compulsory acquisition (CA) and temporary possession (TP) case and on any CA and TP objections (if there are requests to be heard)
21 February 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 7(ISH7) Issue Specific Hearing 7 (ISH7) ISH7 on the draft Development Consent Order (dDCO)
05 March 2019	Deadline 3 Deadline for receipt of: Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Post hearing submissions including written submissions of oral case Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 2 Applicant’s Tracking List of SoCGs and agreements identifying any changes since Deadline 1 Applicant’s Tracking List of Application Documents and Plans identifying any changes since Deadline 1 Applicant’s Tracking List of changes to mitigation measures Requests from Interested Parties and Other Persons to be heard at ISH8, ISH9 and/ or CAH2 from 16 – 18 April 2019 Statement of direction from the Applicant indicating that either changes to the application will be submitted at Deadline 4 or alternatively confirming that no such changes will be submitted. Confirmation by Port of Tilbury London Ltd. and London Gateway Port Ltd. of arrangements for an Accompanied Site Inspection (ASI2) to the Port of Tilbury, Tilbury 2 and London Gateway Port (the Thames Ports)1 on 15 April 2019 Requests from the Applicant, IPs and Other Persons to attend ASI2 to the Thames Ports  View the documents received relating to this deadline
12 March 2019	Publication by Examining Authority Issue by the ExA of: Notification of ASI2 to the Thames Ports1 to be held in April 2019
28 March 2019	Deadline 4 Deadline for receipt of: Applicant’s revised draft DCO Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 3 Receipt of report(s) from any Shipping and Navigation workshop(s) convened between the Applicant and any IPs attending ISH5 or 6 (if applicable) Request for change(s) and documented change(s) to the application (if any) from the Applicant Parking and meeting locations, security and personal protective equipment requirements for attendees, transport arrangements for attendees within port perimeters, draft itinerary and maps for ASI2 from Port of Tilbury London Ltd. and London Gateway Port Ltd. View the documents received relating to this deadline
04 April 2019	Publication by ExA Publication by ExA of: The ExA’s Procedural Decision(s) to address matters raised at Deadline 4 (D4) but not specifically provided for in this timetable and procedural decisions made on 1 March 2019.
05 April 2019	Deadline 4B Deadline for receipt from the Applicant of: A revised Navigation Risk Assessment (NRA) to support the SEZ proposal submitted at Deadline 4; An addendum to the Environmental Statement (ES) assessing the SEZ proposal submitted at Deadline 4; and Any other documents required to record and justify the SEZ proposal submitted at Deadline 4 and that were not submitted at Deadline 4 View the documents received relating to this deadline
10 April 2019	Deadline 4C Deadline for receipt of: Lists of ports, shipping, pilotage and navigation safety experts intending to appear at ISH8. Submission of statements of evidence to be prepared by or for the Applicant and/ or IPs requesting to be heard to inform ISH8. View the documents received relating to this deadline
10 April 2019	Publication by ExA of Publication by ExA of: The ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ2)(Note – further questions addressing the Structures Exclusion Zone (SEZ) proposal submitted by the Applicant at Deadline 4 and other matters as required may also be published at Item 27 below.)
15 April 2019	Accompanied Site Inspection 2 Accompanied Site Inspection 2 (ASI2) ASI2 at the Thames Ports2
16 April 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 8 Part 1 Issue Specific Hearing 8 (ISH8)Part 1 of 3 ISH8 on International, Shipping, Marine, Environmental and other matters
16 April 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 8 Part 2 Issue Specific Hearing 8 (ISH8)Part 2 of 3 ISH8 on International, Shipping, Marine, Environmental and other matters. Evening session will held on 16 April to commence at 6:30pm if required.
17 April 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 8 Part 3 Issue Specific Hearing 8 (ISH8) Part 3 or 3 ISH8 Part 3 on Environmental, Shipping, Maritime, Fishing and other matters
18 April 2019	Compulsory Acquisition Hearing (CAH2) Compulsory Acquisition Hearing (CAH2) CAH2 on the Applicant’s compulsory acquisition (CA) and temporary possession (TP) case and any outstanding objections to it.
18 April 2019	Issue Specific Hearing 9 (ISH9) Issue Specific Hearing 9 (ISH9) ISH9 on the draft Development Consent Order (dDCO)
29 April 2019	Deadline 5 Deadline for receipt of: Revised and progress versions of SoCGs Responses to ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ2) Comments on Applicant’s revised dDCO Responses to any further information requested by the ExA (specifically including any ‘action points’ arising from hearings) Post hearing submissions including written submissions of oral case Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 4, 4B and 4C Submission to the ExA by the Applicant of the SEZ Material Change consultation package as published Submission to the ExA of comments on the SEZ Material Change application and related documents submitted at D4 and D4B by IPs and OPs already within the Examination View the documents received relating to this deadline
03 May 2019	Deadline 5A Deadline for receipt of: Comments on any revised dDCO submitted by the Applicant at Deadline 5 View the documents received relating to this deadline
07 May 2019	Publication by Examining Authority Publication by the ExA of: The ExA’s preferred dDCO or dDCO commentary (if required)
14 May 2019	Publication by the ExA of Publication by the ExA of: Report on the Implications for European Sites (RIES) (if required)
16 May 2019	Publication by the ExA Publication by the ExA of: The ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ3)(if required)
28 May 2019	Deadline 6 Deadline for receipt of: Final SoCGs Responses to ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ3) (if published) Comments on responses to the ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ2) Comments on the ExA’s preferred dDCO or dDCO commentary (if required) Comments on the RIES (if published) Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 5 and 5A Submission to the ExA by the Applicant of the SEZ Material Change Consultation Report (described in Annex C to the R8(3) and R9 Letter of 9 April) and any supporting documents Submission to the ExA of comments on D5 submissions on the SEZ Material Change application by IPs and OPs already within the Examination Submission of requests to become an IP or OP from any person responding to the Applicant’s SEZ Material Change consultation package who is not already involved in the Examination Statements of submissions by persons requesting to become an IP or OP in response to the Applicant’s SEZ Material Change consultation package and who are not already involved in the Examination View the documents received relating to this deadline
30 May 2019	Publication by the ExA Publication by the ExA of: The ExA’s Further requests for information under EPR Rule 17 (if required)
03 June 2019	Deadline 6A Deadline for receipt of: Responses to the ExA’s Further requests for information under EPR Rule 17 (if required) View the documents received relating to this deadline
06 June 2019	Deadline 7 Deadline for receipt of: Comments on responses to the ExA’s Further Written Questions (ExQ3) Comments on responses to the ExA’s Further requests for information under EPR Rule 17 (if required) Responses to comments on the ExA’s draft DCO or dDCO commentary (if required) Responses to comments on the RIES (if published) Responses to any further information requested by the ExA Comments on any additional information/ submissions received by Deadline 6 Statements of matters not agreed (in circumstances where a SoCG could not be finalised by Deadline 6) Final DCO to be submitted by the Applicant in the SI template with the SI template validation report Applicant’s Tracking List of SoCGs and agreements identifying any changes since Deadline 3 Applicant’s Tracking List of Application Documents and Plans identifying any changes since Deadline 3 Applicant’s Tracking List of changes to mitigation measures, identifying any changes since Deadline 3 Submission to the ExA of comments on the SEZ Material Change Consultation Report and any supporting documents Submission to the ExA of comments on statements of submission made at D6 by IPs or OPs who joined the Examination at that deadline Submission to the ExA of responses to comments on D5 submissions on the Material Change application by IPs and OPs already within the Examination before D6 View the documents received relating to this deadline
10 June 2019	Deadline 8 Deadline for receipt of: Submission to the ExA by the Applicant of responses to comments on statements of submission made at D6 by new IPs or OPs who joined the Examination at that deadline Submission to the ExA by the Applicant of responses to comments on the SEZ Material Change consultation report and any supporting documents View the documents received relating to this deadline
11 June 2019	Examination closed

Examination Stage – FAQs

What is the Examination?
- An Examining Authority examines the key issues arising from an application for a Development Consent Order. The Examining Authority is a single Inspector or panel of up to five Inspectors, appointed by the Secretary of State.
- The Examining Authority considers representations made in writing by the Applicant and other Interested Parties, and will generally ask written questions in order to clarify points raised and to obtain further evidence. In some circumstances hearings may be held at which the Applicant and other Interested parties may speak. Once the Examination has ended, the Examining Authority writes a report setting out its conclusions and recommendations in respect of the application. The Recommendation Report is then sent to the relevant Secretary of State. It is the relevant Secretary of State who then takes the decision about whether or not to grant development consent.
How is the Examination conducted?
- The examination of an application begins on the last day of the Preliminary Meeting and has to be completed within six months. The Examination is a principally written process, based upon the Relevant Representations and Written Representations submitted by Interested Parties, and the written responses to questions asked by the Examining Authority.
- As written submissions are the principal means of giving evidence to an Examining Authority, it is essential that you make any points that you wish to make in writing before the deadlines set by the Examining Authority in the Examination Timetable.
- It is also important to understand that what you say at any hearings that are held should be based on a representation you have previously made in writing.
How can Interested Parties provide more detailed Written Representations?
- Everyone who has registered as an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation in relation to an application is given the opportunity to provide a more detailed Written Representation. Written Representations should be supported by relevant evidence and be provided by the deadline set out in the Examination Timetable. This can be done by emailing the project email address which is available on the project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website. You can also post your Written Representations to: National Infrastructure Planning, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.
- Please mark your submission clearly with the name of the application your Written Representation relates to and your unique reference number, which will have been provided to you in the letter notifying you of the Preliminary Meeting. If you no longer have this letter, please contact our Helpdesk on 0303 444 5000 before submitting your representation.
- Please ensure that you post or email your Written Representation in good time for us to receive it by the specified deadline in the Examination Timetable. Please remember that the purpose of Written Representations is to provide the Examining Authority with submissions (and supporting evidence) regarding issues which are important and relevant to the consideration of the application. You may provide as much or as little detail as you wish in your Written Representation, but a representation is more likely to carry weight with the Examining Authority if it is specific and supported by evidence.
- You can also comment on the Written Representations made by other Interested Parties within the timescale set out in the Examination Timetable. You can do this by post or email. In either case you should make sure that you include: (i) the name of the application to which the representation relates; (ii) your unique reference number; and (iii) the reference number for the Written Representation you are commenting on. The Planning Inspectorate will give each Written Representation received (and all other Examination Documents) a unique reference number. These reference numbers are provided in an Examination Library which is produced for every application and made available under the Documents tab on the relevant project webpage.
- We are required by law to make copies of representations (and comments on representations) available for public inspection. This is achieved by publishing all representations and comments to our website. If you submit a representation or comment, details published on our website will be restricted to your name and the text/ graphical content of your representation. We will remove any personal information about third parties if we think they have not given their consent to including their personal information in the representation. Please read our Privacy Notice which explains how we will store and use your data.
- Anything you have already said in your earlier Relevant Representation, made at the point of registration with the Planning Inspectorate, will be read by the Examining Authority. Therefore, there is no need to produce a further Written Representation during the Examination if you consider that your earlier Relevant Representation included all the detail you wish to provide.
- Please note that the Examining Authority may disregard representations which it considers are vexatious or frivolous, or those which deal with the merits of matters of national policy contained in National Policy Statements (NPSs). Designated NPSs have already been the subject of consultation and parliamentary approval and it is not the role of the Examination to debate the merits of national policy.
Can I provide a Written Representation even if I did not submit a valid Relevant Representation?
- You may write to the Planning Inspectorate, but if you have not registered as an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation there is no guarantee that your comments will be taken into account. Whilst the Examining Authority does have discretion to accept Written Representations from people who have not submitted a valid Relevant Representation, this should not be relied upon because people who are not Interested Parties have no legal entitlement to participate.
- If you have not registered as an Interested Party, you can also consider grouping together with an individual or organisation which has already registered and become an Interested Party, where they have similar views to your own, so that they can express your views on your behalf.
- If you choose to do this, you may also wish to ask this individual or organisation to keep you informed regarding the progress of the application as the Examining Authority only writes directly to Interested Parties in this respect.
What are the different types of hearings?
- Issue Specific Hearings: These hearings are held only if the Examining Authority considers they are necessary to ensure adequate examination of an issue or that they are necessary for an Interested Party to have a fair chance to put forward their case. At an Issue Specific Hearing, any Interested Party can make representations about the specific issue being considered.
- Open Floor Hearings: These can be requested by anyone who has registered as an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation, or by other Interested Parties (ie persons with a legal interest in affected land and statutory bodies). Requests must be made by the deadline which is set by the Examining Authority in the Examination Timetable. At the hearing, anyone who is an Interested Party can give oral evidence based on their Relevant Representation or Written Representation.
- Compulsory Acquisition Hearings: These take place at the request of anyone who has a legal interest in land affected by the Proposed Development. Only these ‘Affected Persons’ and the Applicant have the right to request and be heard at a Compulsory Acquisition Hearing.
- At any hearings, the Examining Authority will manage the proceedings and may set a time limit for contributions to ensure fairness to all participants.
Who can attend hearings?
- Anyone who is an Interested Party in relation to an application will be informed in writing by the Planning Inspectorate of the times, dates, and locations of hearings. The details are also published on the relevant project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website.
- Meetings are held in public but to ensure that we can plan for this properly we ask that everyone who wants to attend a particular hearing tells us in advance by contacting the Case Team for the project. If the venue has limited capacity, the Planning Inspectorate may need to offer Interested Parties a seat ahead of other members of the general public.
Can I speak at any hearings?
- Any Interested Party may speak at an Open Floor Hearing or Issue Specific Hearing, subject to the Examining Authority’s control over the conduct of the hearing. Any party wishing to speak who has not previously advised the Planning Inspectorate in writing of their wish to do so should inform a member of Inspectorate’s staff as soon as they arrive at the hearing. The Examining Authority will confirm whether or not this request can be granted at the beginning of the hearing or as relevant matters are explored.
- Only the Applicant and ‘Affected Persons’ (persons with a legal interest in land affected by the Proposed Development) are entitled to make oral representations at a Compulsory Acquisition Hearing.
What is the Local Impact Report?
- Local Impact Reports (LIR) are reports produced by local authorities within which a Proposed Development is located; or by any local authority that shares a boundary with a host local authority. The Examining Authority must have regard to the LIR(s) when making its recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State must have regard to the LIR(s) in taking its decision about the application.
- Joint LIRs can be produced by two or more local authorities, for example where there are both county and district councils for the area affected by a Proposed Development. LIRs sets out what the local authority(ies) consider to be the impact of a Proposed Development on their local area(s). The Examining Authority will include a deadline for receiving the LIR in the Examination Timetable.
How can I comment on the local Impact Report?
- Once an LIR is received, it will be published on the relevant project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website. Interested Parties can comment on the LIR and the deadline for this will be published in the Examination Timetable. Once the deadline has passed, all comments made on the LIR by the deadline will be published on the relevant project page on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

Advice Note 8.5 provides more information about the Examination