Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay
Enquiry
Mr Jones raised some concerns regarding the publication of documentation.
Advice given
Thank you for your email and your comments concerning the website.
The Planning Inspectorate continually reviews our website and works to make improvements. Your feedback will be passed to the team who are responsible for administration the website for information. Please note that there is currently work underway to ensure that documents are numbered and a list continually updated as the examination progresses but unfortunately this is not available yet, and as an interim measure, we are currently working on updating the banner to assist you and other interested parties.
Regarding your specific queries I will address your comments in turn.
?Post ?Application changes folder?
Regarding the folder under application entitled 'post submission changes' I agree that this is not an ideal title. I will liaise with our website team to consider the naming of this folder. The documents within this folder were not submitted by the applicant as changes to the project but as documents in response to the s51 advice that the Planning Inspectorate issued following acceptance. Within this advice, the applicant was requested to provide larger diagrams to assist with the reading of the Environmental Statement. The folder was created to identify the documents separately, but as part of, from the original submission. A link to this folder was available in the banner prior to Deadline 2 to enable comments to be put forward for Deadline 2.
Publishing of documents
All other documents, when submitted to the examination will be found either in their document type (i.e. responses to ExA questions) or by deadline (e.g. deadline 2).
In relation to the deadline 2 submissions from the applicant, you will find the applicant's written representation in the folder of that name and any supporting/referenced information. We have endeavoured where possible to add descriptions to all documents to assist.
In relation to the responses to Examining Authority's questions, the applicant referenced these sections to correlate with to the relevant section in the questions. They also provided appendices.
Further information on which appendices link to which question/document is explained in the applicant?s ?Guide to the application?, which we will endeavour to highlight on the website: attachment 1.
Where updated application documents have been submitted, these can currently be found in the written representation folder for this submission, this includes a Flood Risk Assessment, Construction Environmental Management Plan and Operational Management Plan. The DCO is currently within the application documents folder. We are looking, to assist with navigating the site, setting up an ?updated application document folder? and therefore this may change in the coming days. I appreciate that this is inconvenient but may assist in the longterm.
I appreciate that the way in which the website orders documents is not ideal but prior to publishing, we try where possible to provide clarity.
Referencing
In relation to referencing within documents, this is up to the interested party submitting the representation. The Planning Inspectorate is unable to check all referencing prior to publishing.
Submission of new information
Finally, you are correct that new information cannot simply be submitted to the examination; however, it is an accepted practice that documents be updated during an examination, this is often as a result of ongoing discussions with interested parties and/or addressing concerns of the examining authority. Should you feel that any information submitted constitutes a change to the application, you are advised to bring this to the Examining Authority?s attention.
Whilst I appreciate that this email will not have solved the issues that you have raised, however, I hope that the explanation is of some assistance.