The Offshore Electricity Development (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

PART V Publicity

Publicity where an environmental statement is submitted

9.—(1) Where an environmental statement has been provided to the Department the developer shall make it available to the public and the Department shall, when it receives the environmental statement, by general and local advertisement —

(a) describe the nature, size and location of the proposed development;

(b) state where the application for consent and the statement may be inspected;

(c) state that the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment and that an environmental statement has been submitted in respect of them;

(d) state that any person may obtain information from, or make representations in writing to, the Department in relation to the likely environmental effects of the proposed development at an address specified in the notice within 28 days of the date the notice was first published;

(e) indicate the nature of the information in question and the times where and means by which it will be made available;

(f) state the nature of the possible decisions that may be made in the case or, if there is one, the draft decision; and

(g) indicate whether the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment in another EEA State.

(2) Where the Department publishes an advertisement in accordance with paragraph (1) it shall, on or before the date of its first publication send a copy of that notice to each of the consultation bodies and to any person whom it considers is or is likely to be affected by, or has an interest in, the application.

Availability of copies of environmental statement

10.  A developer who submits an environmental statement shall—

(a) ensure that a reasonable number of copies are made available at the address given in the notice pursuant to regulation 9; and

(b) provide the Department with sufficient copies of it, or parts thereof, to enable the Department to comply with regulation 11 and 3 additional copies.

Consultation where environmental statement submitted

11.—(1) Where the Department receives an environmental statement in relation to a proposed development, it shall consult the consultation bodies and inform them that they may make representations.

(2) The Department shall give not less than 4 weeks notice to the bodies consulted under paragraph (1) that environmental information is to be taken into account in determining the application for consent.

Further information relating to environmental statement

12.—(1) Where the Department is of the opinion that —

(a) the applicant could have provided further information about any of the matters mentioned in Schedule 3; and

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

it may request the applicant, by notice in writing, to submit such further information.

(2) The Department may, by notice in writing, require an applicant to produce such evidence as it may reasonably call for to verify any information in his environmental statement.

(3) On receipt of a request under paragraph (1) or (2) the applicant shall submit the further information or evidence within three months of receipt of the request or such extended period as may be agreed in writing between the applicant and the Department, and if not so submitted, the consent to which the information or evidence relates shall be deemed to be refused.

(4) Regulations 9 to 11 shall apply where such further information and any other relevant information provided by the applicant is received by the Department in relation to an environmental statement, as if references to “environmental statement” were references to “further information and any other relevant information”.

Charges

13.—(1) A reasonable charge reflecting the cost of printing and distribution of an environmental statement, any part thereof, any further information or any other relevant information, may be made by the developer in respect of copies made available under regulation 10(a).

(2) A body entering into consultation pursuant to Regulation 7 may make a reasonable charge for the costs of making available to the developer information in its possession.