Environmental Assessment (Forestry) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Publicity

9.—(1) A person who makes an application for consent in relation to a relevant project or who provides further information in relation to that project under regulation 8 shall publish a notice in accordance with paragraph (2) in such newspapers (not being less than 2) as the Department reasonably may require for the purposes of ensuring—

(a) the application for consent or, as the case may be, the information provided under regulation 8, is made available to the public; and

(b) the public concerned is given an opportunity to express an opinion in relation to the application before the application for consent is determined.

(2) A notice required by paragraph (1) shall—

(a) state that the application for consent has been made or, as the case may be, that the further information has been furnished to the Department under regulation 8;

(b) specify an office of the Department or other place nominated by it at which copies of the application or the further information may be inspected free of charge at all reasonable hours within 28 days beginning with the date of publication of the notice;

(c) specify an address at which copies of the application or the further information may be obtained from the applicant and, if a charge is to be made for a copy, the amount (not exceeding a reasonable charge for copying) of the charge; and

(d) state that any person wishing to make representations regarding the application or the further information should make them in writing to the Department at a specified address nominated by it, within 28 days beginning with the date of publication of the notice.

(3) On receipt of an application for consent, or of further information under regulation 8, the Department shall provide copies of the application or, as the case may be, the further information, together with a notice stating that any representations regarding the application or the further information should be made in writing to the Department within 28 days beginning with the date of the notice, to any local authority or other public authority which appears to the Department to have an interest in the application.

(4) In this regulation, reference to an application shall include a reference to the documents accompanying that application.