The Environmental Impact Assessment (Fish Farming in Marine Waters) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Further information and evidence relating to environmental statements

10.—(1) The Department, when dealing with an application in relation to which an environmental statement has been provided may by notice in writing require the applicant to provide such further information as may be specified in the notice to enable the Department to make a determination in relation to the application or concerning any matter which is required to be dealt with in the environmental statement.

(2) The Department may only issue a notice under paragraph (1) where—

(a) the applicant could (having regard in particular to current knowledge and methods of assessment) provide further information about any matter mentioned in Schedule 2; and

(b) that further information is reasonably required to give proper consideration to the likely environmental effects of the proposed development to which the notice relates,

and where an applicant is so notified he shall provide the further information in question.

(3) The Department may in writing require to be produced to it such evidence, in respect of any environmental statement which falls to it to take into consideration, as it may reasonably call for to verify any information it contains.

(4) Where, pursuant to paragraph (1), the Department obtains any additional information it shall—

(a) by general and local advertisement state that the additional information is available, and give details of the places where and times at which a copy of that additional information may be inspected or obtained and, if a charge is to be made for any such copy under regulation 14, the amount of the charge; and

(b) state that any person who wishes to make representations in relation to the additional information should make such representations in writing to the Department at the address specified in the advertisement within 28 days of the date of the publication of the notice in the Belfast Gazette.

(5) At the same time as the notice in the Belfast Gazette is published under paragraph (4)(a), the Department shall—

(a) send copies of the additional information to each person to whom a copy of the statement to which it related was given under regulation 9(4)(a);

(b) make available for inspection at an office of the Department or at some other convenient place, for a period of at least 28 days following the date of the publication of the notice in the Belfast Gazette, the additional information, the details of the proposed development in question and the environmental statement relating to the development and ensure that a reasonable number of copies of the information are made available.