9.—(1) Before applying for consent to carry out work in relation to a project, a proposer may request the Department to give its opinion as to the information to be contained in the environmental statement required for that project.
(2) Where a proposer requests an opinion under paragraph (1) before a determination has been made whether a project is or would be a relevant project, the Department shall deal with the request on the assumption that the project is a relevant project.
(3) Before giving an opinion under paragraph (1), the Department shall consult the applicant and any local authority or other public authority which appears to the Department to have an interest in the application.
(4) The Department shall, within a period of five weeks beginning with the date of the receipt of the request or such longer period as may be agreed in writing with the proposer, give its opinion under paragraph (1) and shall send a copy to the proposer.