The Offshore Chemicals Regulations 2002

Publicity for permit applications

7.—(1) Except where the permit application is one to which paragraph (2) applies, a permit applicant shall—

(a) having regard to the general whereabouts of any persons likely to be interested in, or affected by, the use or discharge of any chemical to which the permit application relates, make a copy of the permit application available for public inspection at an address in the United Kingdom between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on business days for a period of not less than four weeks immediately following the publication (or last publication, where it is published in more than one newspaper or on more than one occasion) of the notice referred to in sub-paragraph (d);

(b) make available at an address within the United Kingdom enough copies of the permit application to be likely to satisfy all reasonable demands for copies pursuant to sub-paragraph (c);

(c) subject to sub-paragraph (b) and paragraph (3), supply during the period mentioned in sub-paragraph (a), a copy of the permit application;

(d) publish in such newspapers on such occasions as to be likely to come to the attention of any persons likely to be interested in, or affected by, the use or discharge of any chemical to which the permit application relates, a notice which—

(i) describes the permit application;

(ii) gives the address referred to in sub-paragraph (a) at which a copy of the permit application may be inspected;

(iii) states that a copy of the permit application may be obtained from the address referred to in sub-paragraph (b) and, subject to paragraph (3)(b), specifies the amount of any payment required to be tendered for a copy of the permit application; and

(iv) states a date not less than four weeks after the date on which the notice is to be last published by which any person may make representations in relation to the permit application to the Secretary of State and specifies the address to which any such representations are to be sent; and

(e) provide the Secretary of State with copies of the newspapers in which the notice referred to in sub-paragraph (d) appeared.

(2) This paragraph applies to permit applications made—

(a) in connection with a relevant project for which the Secretary of State gives a direction, pursuant to regulation 6 of the Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1999(1), that no environmental statement need be prepared;

(b) in connection with a discharge from a pipeline, being a discharge to which the Secretary of State gives a consent pursuant to an authorisation issued under Part III of the Petroleum Act 1998(2); or

(c) in connection with activities carried out in accordance with an abandonment programme approved by the Secretary of State under Part IV of the Petroleum Act 1998.

(3) Where a permit applicant is subject to an obligation to supply a copy of a permit application pursuant to a request made under paragraph (1)(c), he—

(a) shall supply a copy of the permit application to the person requesting it as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of the request; and

(b) may make the supply of a copy of the permit application conditional on the receipt by the permit applicant of a sum calculated by reference to the cost of printing and distributing copies of the permit application, subject to a maximum of £10 for each copy requested.

(1)

S.I. 1999/360.

(2)

1998 c. 17.