The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Discharge consents

290.—(1) Schedule 1 to the Water Order (discharge consents) is amended as follows.

(2) After paragraph 1 insert—

“Consultation in connection with applications

1A.— (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the Department shall give notice of any application under paragraph 1, together with a copy of the application, to the persons who are prescribed to be consulted under this paragraph and shall do so within the specified period for notification.

(2) The Department may by regulations exempt any class of application from the requirements of this paragraph or exclude any class of information contained in applications from those requirements, in all cases or as respects specified classes only of persons to be consulted.

(3) Any representations made by the persons so consulted within the period allowed shall be considered by the Department in determining the application.

(4) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)—

(a) persons are prescribed to be consulted on any description of application if they are persons specified for the purposes of applications of that description in regulations made by the Department; and

(b) the “specified period for notification” is the period specified in the regulations.

(5) Any representations made by any other persons within the period allowed shall also be considered by the Department in determining the application.

(6) Subject to sub-paragraph (7), the period allowed for making representations is—

(a) in the case of persons prescribed to be consulted, the period of 6 weeks beginning with the date on which notice of the application was given under sub-paragraph (1), and

(b) in the case of other persons, the period of 6 weeks beginning with the date on which the making of the application was advertised in pursuance of paragraph 1(1)(b).

(7) The Department may, by regulations, substitute for any period for the time being specified in sub-paragraph (6)(a) or (b), such other period as it considers appropriate.”.

(3) In paragraph 2(1)(b) at the end add “or paragraph 1A”.

(4) In paragraph 4(1)(a) for “Article 9” substitute “Article 7(2)”.

(5) In paragraph 8 omit—

(a) in sub-paragraphs (2) and (3), the words “, subject to sub-paragraph (4),”; and

(b) sub-paragraph (4).

(6) In paragraph 8 for sub-paragraph (6) substitute—

“(6) Where a discharge consent given under paragraph 2 or 4 is to be transferred under sub-paragraph (1)—

(a) the person from whom and the person to whom the consent is to be transferred shall give joint notice to the Department of the proposed transfer;

(b) the notice may specify the date on which it is proposed that the transfer should take effect;

(c) within 21 days beginning with the date of receipt of the notice duly given in accordance with head (a), the Department shall—

(i) arrange to amend the consent by substituting the name of the transferee as holder of the consent; and

(ii) serve notice on the transferor and the transferee that the amendment has been made; and

(d) the transfer shall take effect from the later of—

(i) the date on which the Department amends the consent; and

(ii) the date (if any) specified in the joint notice under paragraph (a).

(6A) A joint notice under sub-paragraph (6)(a) shall include such information as may be prescribed.

(6B) If the person from whom the consent is to be transferred is a person in whom the consent has vested by virtue of sub-paragraph (2) or (3), a joint notice given under sub-paragraph (6)(a) shall be of no effect unless the notice required by sub-paragraph (7) has been given.

(6C) A notice or other instrument given by or on behalf of the Department pursuant to sub-paragraph (6) shall not constitute an instrument signifying the consent of the Department for the purposes of paragraph 6.”.

(7) In paragraph 8(9), omit the words “(6) or”.