Planning Application Progress
Update at 13 July 2007

Since the planning application was lodged on 9 May 2006, Planning Service has sought consultation responses from some 26 agencies and organisations within and around government.  At this stage, over a year later, almost all of the consultation responses have been returned and we are engaging with both Planning Service and the key consultees to address their comments.  The key consultation responses are from Environment and Heritage Service Natural Heritage, Environment and Heritage Land Management, Roads Service and Water Service.  None of the consultees have voiced an objection in principle to what we are trying to achieve and the general thrust of the responses is that our baseline studies and analysis is sound, but on some issues – like nature conservation - we are being encouraged to provide more information on impact mitigation and future management of the site – matters which we had hoped to be able to return to later in the process when we had worked the concept for the site up to a level of detail which would allow an even more detailed assessment than that which we have undertaken to date.  With encouragement from Planning Service, we have arranged a series of meeting with the key consultees to agree the level of further information required and expect that this will form the basis of a supplement to the Environmental Statement which will be submitted in the Autumn.