Procedure to facilitate preparation of EIA reports
15.—(1) An applicant who intends to submit an EIA report to the Scottish Ministers under these Regulations may give notice of that intention, in writing, to the Scottish Ministers under this paragraph.
(2) A notice under paragraph (1) must include the information necessary to identify the location, nature and purpose of the works, and must indicate the main environmental consequences to which the applicant proposes to refer in the EIA report.
(3) Where the Scottish Ministers receive notice under paragraph (1), or a written statement made by virtue of regulation 13(4), they must—
(a)notify the consultation bodies and any other public body which the Scottish Ministers consider is likely to have an interest in the proposed works by reason of that body’s specific environmental responsibilities or local and regional competencies, in writing, of—
(i)the name and address of the applicant; and
(ii)the duty imposed on those bodies by paragraph (4) to make information available to that person; and
(b)inform the applicant, in writing, of the names and addresses of the bodies so notified.
(4) Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), any body notified in accordance with paragraph (3) must, if requested by the applicant—
(a)enter into consultation with the applicant to determine whether the body has in its possession any information which that body or the applicant considers to be relevant to the preparation of the EIA report; and
(b)if the body has any such information, the body must make that information available to the applicant.
(5) Paragraph (4) does not require disclosure of information which the Scottish Ministers or any body notified in accordance with paragraph (3)—
(a)may refuse to disclose under regulation 10(1) of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004(1); or
(b)are prevented from disclosing by regulation 11(2) of those Regulations.
(6) Paragraph (4) does not require disclosure of information which the Scottish Ministers or any body notified in accordance with paragraph (3)—
(a)may refuse to disclose under regulation 12(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004(2); or
(b)are prevented from disclosing by regulation 13(1) of those Regulations.
(7) A reasonable charge reflecting the cost of making the relevant information available may be made by the Scottish Ministers or any body notified in accordance with paragraph (3) when making information available in accordance with paragraph (4).
S.S.I. 2004/520, as amended by S.S.I. 2013/127.
S.I. 2004/3391, as relevantly amended by S.I. 2015/1897.