The Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Further information and evidence relating to environmental statement

21.—(1) Where the applicant has submitted a statement which the applicant refers to as an environmental statement and the council or, as the case may be, the Department is of the opinion that, in order to satisfy the requirements of regulation 11(2), the statement should contain supplementary information which is directly relevant to reaching a reasoned conclusion on the significant effects of the development described in the application on the environment in order to be an environmental statement, it shall require the applicant, by notice in writing, to submit that supplementary information, and such information provided by the applicant is referred to in these Regulations as “further information”.

(2) The council or, as the case may be, 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 the environmental statement.

(3) On receipt of a notice under paragraphs (1) and (2) the applicant shall submit the further information or evidence within three months from the date of the notice or such extended period as may be agreed in writing between the applicant and the council or, as the case may be, the Department and, if not so submitted, the application shall be deemed to be refused, and a deemed refusal by the council shall not give rise to an appeal to the Commission by virtue of section 58 or 60.

(4) Subject to paragraph (6), regulations 18 to 20 shall apply where such further information and any other information is received by the council or, as the case may be, the Department, as if references to “environmental statement” were references to “further information and any other information”.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6), where information is requested under paragraph (1) or any other information is received by the council or, as the case may be, the Department, it shall suspend determination of the application and shall not determine it before the expiry of the period of 30 days after the date on which notice of that information was published under regulation 18, or the expiry of the period of notice given to bodies consulted about that information under regulation 20, whichever is the latest.

(6) Paragraphs (4) and (5) shall not apply to further information and any other information provided for the purposes of a public local inquiry or hearing held under section 26(10) or (11) or section 29(6) or (7).

(7) Where a public local inquiry or hearing is to be held under section 26(10) or (11) or section 29(6) or (7) in relation to an EIA application, the Department shall, not less than 30 days before the inquiry or hearing is to be held, publish notice of it by local advertisement.

(8) Every notice published pursuant to paragraph (7) shall contain:

(a) a clear statement of the date, time and place of the inquiry or hearing;

(b) details of where and when copies of any information provided for the purposes of the inquiry or hearing may be inspected and, where practicable, copied by the public.

(9) Where a public local inquiry or hearing is to be held under section 26(10) or (11) or section 29(6) or (7) in relation to an EIA application, the Commission or, as the case may be, the person appointed by the Department shall, not less than 30 days before the inquiry or hearing is to be held, afford to any person who so requests a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, where practicable, take copies of any information provided for the purposes of the inquiry or hearing.

(10) For the purpose of paragraph (9), an opportunity is to be taken as having been afforded to a person where the person is notified of—

(a) publication on the Commission’s website, or publication on a website accessible by the person appointed by the Department, of any information provided for the purposes of the inquiry or hearing;

(b) the address of that website; and

(c) the place on the website where that information may be accessed and how it may be accessed.