NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE OF AN APPLICATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER BY THE PLANNING INSPECTORATE (ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR BUSINESS ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY) UNDER SECTION 56 OF THE PLANNING ACT 2008
CLEVE HILL SOLAR PARK DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER
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 Secretary of State has accepted an application (“the Application”) by Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd of Woodington House Woodington Road, East Wellow, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 6DQ (“the Applicant”) for a Development Consent Order under the Planning Act 2008. The application (Reference No. EN010085) was submitted by the Applicant to the Secretary of State c/o the Planning Inspectorate on 16 November 2018 and was accepted on Friday 14 December 2018.
Summary of the Project
The Application is for development consent to construct, operate and maintain Cleve Hill Solar Park (CHSP). CHSP will comprise a solar photovoltaic array and an energy storage facility together with associated infrastructure and all associated development.
CHSP will be located near Graveney, 2 km north east of Faversham and 5 km west of Whitstable on the north Kent coast.
Development consent is required to the extent that development is or forms part of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project pursuant to section 14(1)(a) and 15(2) of the Planning Act 2008. As CHSP is expected to have a capacity of greater than 50 MW it is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project for the purposes of the Planning Act 2008. It is for this reason that the project falls within the remit of the Secretary of State.
The electricity generated from CHSP will be transmitted via underground electricity cables to the existing Cleve Hill substation.
The draft Development Consent Order (as submitted with the application) provides for flexibility in relation to the design of the generating stations and their associated development.
The Development Consent Order would authorise the compulsory acquisition of land, interests in land and rights over land, and the powers to use land permanently and temporarily. The Development Consent Order would also authorise the temporary stopping up or management of public rights of way and street works and the application and/or disapplication of legislation.
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 accompanies the application.
Application form and accompanying documents:
A hard copy of the full suite of application documents, including accompanying plans, maps and other documents may be inspected free of charge from Wednesday 19 December 2018 until Monday 28 January 2019 at the following locations during the hours set out below:
- Kent County Council, County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ. Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
- Canterbury City Council, Military Road, CT1 1YW. Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
- Swale Borough Council, Swale House, East St, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 3HT. Opening hours Monday-Thursday 8.45am-5pm, Friday 8.45am-4.30pm.
- Faversham Library, Newton Rd, Faversham ME13 8DY. Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.
A copy of the Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary (NTS), Consultation Report as well as USBs containing the full application are available at the following locations with computer access on site:
- Swale Borough Council, Sheppey Gateway, 38-42 High Street, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 1NL. Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.
- Teynham Library, 131 London Rd, Teynham, Sittingbourne ME9 9QJ. Opening hours Monday 2pm-5pm, Tuesday 9.30am-12pm, Wednesday 2pm-5pm, Thursday 9.30am-12pm, Saturday 9am-1pm.
- Boughton-under-Blean Library, Village Hall, Bull Lane, Boughton under Blean, ME13 9AH. Opening hours Tuesday 10am-4pm, Friday 2pm-4pm, Saturday 9am-12pm.
You can also access the Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary (NTS), Consultation Report as well as USBs to take away at Swale Borough Council, Alexander Centre, 15-17 Preston Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8NZ; opening hours Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm. Please note this location does not have computer access on site.
Copies of the documents are also available online through the Planning Inspectorate’s website at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/cleve-hill-solar-park/?ipcsection=overview as well as through the Applicant’s website at www.clevehillsolar.com
Electronic copies can be provided on request by emailing info@clevehillsolar.com, writing to Freepost: Cleve Hill Solar or by telephone: 0800 328 2850.
The documents can be made available in hard copy format on request at a cost of:
- Total cost for all documents – £2,900.
- Environmental Statement – All Volumes – £2,400;
- Environmental Statement Visualisations – £1,600; and
- Application documents including Consultation Report, Planning Statement or Report to Inform Appropriate Assessment and supporting Annexes (excluding Environmental Statement) – £500.
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 by following the relevant link https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/cleve-hill-solar-park/?ipcsection=overview
If you would like to request a hard copy of the Planning Inspectorate’s Registration and Relevant Representation Form, please telephone 0303 444 5000. Completed forms should be sent to The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Directorate, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN. The Planning Inspectorate reference for the Application (EN010085) should be quoted in any correspondence.
The Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Notice 8.2: How to register to participate in an Examination, provides further guidance on how to register and make a relevant representation (December 2016) and can be accessed via the following link: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Advice-note-8-2v3.pdf
Please note that representations must be received by the Planning Inspectorate by 11.59pm on Monday 28 January 2019.
In submitting a representation, it should be noted that the personal data and correspondence relating to any representation will be made publicly available. If you do not wish personal data to be made publicly available, you should state why when submitting the representation. The Planning Inspectorate will publish the representations with your name removed, however, the representations may give them less weight during the Examination as a result.
