Sections 67 and 68: Applications; Notice of applications
232.The licensing authority, by virtue of these sections, may specify in what form an application for a marine licence should be submitted and may charge an application fee. The licensing authority may vary these requirements for different cases. Fees will be set according to regulations made by the licensing authority.
233.The licensing authority may require any supplementary information or investigations it thinks are necessary to be able properly to assess an application. If, as part of the assessment of the application the authority undertakes additional investigations or tests, then it will be able to recover the costs from the applicant.
234.If an applicant fails to provide any such information, or fails to pay the associated fee, then the licensing authority may refuse to proceed with an application entirely or until the failure is remedied.
235.On receipt of an application, the licensing authority must, subject to section 68(7), secure that any application for a marine licence is advertised in a manner that will bring it to the attention of those likely to be interested in it. It may either advertise the application itself or ask the applicant to do so on its behalf.
236.It must also notify, or require the applicant to notify, any local authority in whose area the activity is proposed (wholly or in part) to be carried on (whether or not notice has been published under subsection (1)).
237.Subsections (7) and (8) give the licensing authority the discretion to lift the requirement to publicise or give notice if it thinks that a particular application should not be published or notified. This would be the case, for example, where it was clear to the licensing authority that the operation under consideration would have no impact on others and providing notice would serve no function other than to delay a decision on the application and increase the costs of the project unnecessarily. Section 68(7)(b) and (8)(b) makes provision for the specific case where the Secretary of State decides that giving notice would be prejudicial to the interests of national security.
238.The licensing authority may refuse to proceed with an application if publication or notice has not be given where it was required to have been; it may also refuse to proceed if any costs of publishing or giving notice which are due to the licensing authority are outstanding.
