61.—(1) For the purposes of section 78 of the 1990 Act (right to appeal against planning decisions and failure to take such decisions), in determining the time which has elapsed without the relevant planning authority giving notice to the applicant of their decision, where—
(a)the authority have notified an applicant in accordance with regulation 11(1) that the submission of an environmental statement is required; and
(b)the Welsh Ministers have given a screening direction in relation to the development in question,
no account is to be taken of any period before the issue of the direction.
(2) Where it falls to an authority to determine an EIA application, articles 22 (time periods for decisions) and 23 (applications made under planning condition) of the 2012 Order have effect as if—
(a)each of the references in articles 22(2)(a) and 23 to a period of 8 weeks is a reference to a period of 16 weeks; and
(b)the reference in article 22(2)(aa)(1) to the period of 12 weeks is a reference to the period of 20 weeks.
Sub-paragraph (aa) of article 22(2) was inserted by article 11(b) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/59 (W. 29)).