Public Notice (East Anglia): Notice of acceptance of application for development consent for the construction and operation of the East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm

NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE OF AN APPLICATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER BY THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE UNDER SECTION 56 OF THE PLANNING ACT 2008

THE EAST ANGLIA TWO OFFSHORE WINDFARM DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER (APPLICATION REFERENCE EN010078)

REGULATION 9 OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (APPLICATIONS: PRESCRIBED FORMS AND PROCEDURE) REGULATIONS 2009

REGULATION 16 OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS 2017

Notice is hereby given that the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) has accepted an application made by East Anglia TWO Limited of 3rd Floor, 1 Tudor Street, London, EC4Y 0AH for a Development Consent Order under the Planning Act 2008 (“the Application”). The Application was made on 25 October 2019 and accepted for examination on 22 November 2019 (Reference EN010078).

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

The Application is for development consent for the construction and operation of the East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm (“East Anglia TWO”). The offshore windfarm would be located in the southern North Sea approximately 32.6 km from the Suffolk coast at its nearest point and would occupy an area of up to 218.4 km². The landfall connection works will be located north of Thorpeness in Suffolk, and the onshore substation and overhead line realignment works will be located in the vicinity of Grove Wood, Friston.

Development consent is required to the extent that the development is or forms part of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The Project consists of two linked NSIPs, namely (i) an offshore generating station; and (ii) overhead line realignment works, together with associated development.  As the proposed offshore generating station is expected to have a capacity of over 100 MW, it is an NSIP for the purposes of section 14(1)(a) and 15(3) of the 2008 Act. Pursuant to sections 14(1)(b) and 16 of the 2008 Act, the installation of an electric line above ground in England is an NSIP unless it falls within certain exclusions. It is not anticipated that any of the exclusions would apply to the overhead line realignment works, and as such these works form a second NSIP. It is for these reasons that the Project falls within the remit of the Secretary of State.

The Development Consent Order would, amongst other things, authorise:

1. Up to 75 offshore wind turbines and their foundations;
2. Up to one offshore meteorological mast and its foundations;
3. Subsea cables connecting the wind turbines and the offshore platforms;
4. Up to one offshore construction, operation and maintenance platform and its foundations;
5. Up to four offshore electrical platforms and their foundations;
6. A network of subsea platform link cables;
7. Up to two offshore subsea export cables to transmit electricity from the offshore electrical platforms to landfall located north of Thorpeness in Suffolk;
8. Landfall connection works north of Thorpeness in Suffolk;
9. Onshore cables commencing at landfall and running to the onshore substation in the vicinity of Grove Wood, Friston;
10. A new onshore substation in the vicinity of Grove Wood, Friston;
11. Accesses, ecological mitigation and landscaping;
12. Overhead line realignment works in proximity to Grove Wood, Friston including permanent realignment of a short section of the northern and southern overhead line circuits including the reconstruction and/or relocation of up to two pylons and construction of up to one additional pylon in order to realign the northern overhead lines and the reconstruction and/or relocation of up to one pylon in order to realign the southern overhead lines;
13. Temporary diversion of the northern and southern overhead line circuits;
14. Construction of up to three permanent cable sealing end compounds (one of which may include circuit breakers) and underground connections;
15. A new National Grid substation;
16. Associated development comprising such other works as may be necessary or expedient for the purposes of or in connection with the relevant part of East Anglia TWO;
17. Associated or ancillary works including improvements to highways, verges and private access roads, construction compounds, construction of a temporary haul road, landscaping and drainage works;
18. The permanent and/or temporary compulsory acquisition (if required) of land and/or rights;
19. Overriding of easements and other rights over or affecting land;
20. If required, the temporary stopping up, alteration or diversion of streets;
21. The application and/or disapplication of legislation including inter alia legislation relating to compulsory purchase; and
22. Such ancillary, incidental and consequential provisions, permits or consents as are necessary and/or convenient.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT

The proposed works are environmental impact assessment development for the purposes of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 and accordingly an Environmental Statement accompanied the Application.

APPLICATION FORM AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS

Copies of the Application form and accompanying plans, maps and other application documents may be inspected free of charge from 16 December 2019 until at least 27 January 2020 at the following locations and during the hours set out below:

Copies of the documents are also available online through the Planning Inspectorate’s website at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/east-anglia-two-offshore-windfarm/ .

Hard copies can be provided on request for a charge of £7000 plus VAT for the full suite of documents by e-mailing eastangliatwo@scottishpower.com or contacting East Anglia TWO Project Manager, ScottishPower Renewables, 9th Floor, 320 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5AD.  USB device copies can be provided free of charge upon request.

REPRESENTATIONS

Any representations (giving notice of any interest in or objection to the Application) must be made on the Planning Inspectorate’s Registration and Relevant Representation Form which can be accessed and completed online at https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/east-anglia-two-offshore-windfarm/ or can be obtained from the Planning Inspectorate by telephoning 0303 444 5000.

Responses should be sent to the Planning Inspectorate (National Infrastructure Directorate), Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN. The Planning Inspectorate reference for East Anglia Two (EN010078) should be quoted in any correspondence.

The Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Notice 8.2: How to register to participate in an Examination (December 2016) provides further guidance on how to register and make a relevant representation and can be accessed via the following link: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Advice-note-8-2v3.pdf

If you are not an affected landowner please note that if you want to remain informed of the examination process and entitled to make representations you must fill in a Registration and Relevant Representation Form to register as an interested party even if you do not wish to make a substantive representation at this point.

Any representation or response must be received by the Planning Inspectorate by 27 January 2020.

Please be aware that the Planning Inspectorate is required by law to make the information that you provide in any representation publicly available. Details published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website will be restricted to your name and the text of your representation. However any copies made available for inspection at public locations will contain your contact details.