30.—(1) Where the Department receives from another EEA State pursuant to Article 7.1 or 7.2 of the Directive, information which the EEA State has gathered from the applicant of a proposed project in that EEA State which is likely to have significant effects on the environment in Northern Ireland, the Department shall in accordance with Article 7.4 of the Directive—
(a)enter into consultations with that EEA State regarding, amongst other things, the potential significant effects of the proposed project on the environment in Northern Ireland and the measures envisaged to reduce or eliminate such effects and whether it wishes to participate in that EEA State’s procedure; and
(b)determine in agreement with that EEA State a reasonable period, before development consent for the project is granted, during which members of the public in Northern Ireland may submit to the competent authority in that EEA State representations pursuant to Article 7.3(b) of the Directive.
(2) The Department shall also—
(a)arrange for the information referred to in paragraph (1) to be made available, within a reasonable time, both to the authorities in Northern Ireland which it considers are likely to be concerned by the project by reason of the specific environmental responsibilities or local or regional competences, and to the public concerned in Northern Ireland;
(b)ensure that those authorities and the public concerned in Northern Ireland are given an opportunity before development consent for the project is granted, to forward to the competent authority in the relevant EEA State, within a reasonable time, their opinion on the information supplied; and
(c)make available to the public concerned, in an appropriate manner, any information received from the competent authority of the relevant EEA State in order to comply with Article 9.2 of the Directive.