News Update
In February 2022 RWE were obliged to open a second consultation due to an admitted flaw in the 2021 consultation, when they left out 10,000 seafront homes. So, not a great start for such an important matter effecting all who live in Sussex. This second consultation has now finished and RWE are expected to put in their final plans to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Consent Order (DCO) in the second half of this year.
We have simplified the instructions below to register for information and to register as an Interested Party:
First:
To be certain – register now to be updated – go to the Planning Inspectorate specified application site for RWE/Rampion 2
https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/rampion-2-offshore-wind-farm
Add your email address in the box and tick all the boxes listed
Note: It says a verifying email will be sent to you to validate your request. You must confirm/verify this email otherwise it is not valid.
The Inspectorate will advise you by email of the arrival of the submission. You then have 28 days to Register as an Interested Party and make a comment. Instructions will be clearly displayed on the website for both. It is worth checking the website from time to time to be sure.
The pop-up windows (buttons) are worth navigating to see further information regarding the application and further information on the process.
Second:
It is sensible to get logged in to the official site with your details. When the submission is lodged it will get a case number. We understand this will make commenting or invitations to public meetings easier to progress.
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk
For Information: Please note the forthcoming key stages in the DCO process:
Pre-application – applicant undertakes consultation and environmental studies, before submitting formal DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate. This is the current stage reached.
Acceptance – Planning Inspectorate reviews the formally submitted DCO documentation to assess whether the application meets the required standards (28 day period)
Pre-examination – Planning Inspectorate organises a Preliminary Meeting for all interested parties. (Usually c3 months after DCO submission).
Examination – Rigorous examination by the Inspectorate of the application details, representations made, and issues raised in writing and orally at hearings. (Starts the day after the Pre-examination meeting and last for up to 6 months).
Recommendation and Decision – Inspectorate prepares detailed report and recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State (within 3 months of Examination period). Secretary of State accepts or rejects the DCO
Post Decision – Judicial Review Period (6 week period for any High Court challenge)
Implementation – Once DCO confirmed, the Local Planning Authorities are responsible for approving any details required prior to the implementation of the project.
Protectcoastalsussex.org is not against windfarms in general, we want to have some input into the density and impact that such wind farms may cause and to protect our coastline. We are one of several local organisations that have taken up the view that the proposal by RWE/Rampion 2 in its original format is too intense and that the overall impact is not consistent either with Government Guidelines nor the need for a ‘Light Footprint’ on the environment. Saving the planet starts with the realisation of how our footprint changes things. What point saving the planet – if what you save is destructive to the environment and is devoid of natural beauty. Ticking a green box is not enough. It is also important to balance efficiency and impact of what we do for generations to come.
Updated: July 2022
Next Steps:
Like most residents, PCS supports offshore windfarms and the UK renewable energy thrust, but it also advocates that Rampion 2 like any RE infrastructure must be sensibly located and fully respect sustainability safeguards, especially given the top-down nature of the Development Consent Order (DCO) decision process for windfarms. Apart from the one month Acceptance stage triggered when RWE submits its Application, a key activity is the preparation of Local Impact Reports by Councils.
Given the ongoing reluctance of local authorities to start that work during pre-application stage (i.e. now), as Government Advisory Notes (“local authorities are strongly encouraged to use the pre-application period to start their own evaluation of the local impacts”), and reluctance to share any information or collaborate with local communities, as was requested in Community-led Public Consultation meetings, PCS contacted the Planning Inspectorate for advice.
The advice was that local communities either under a PCS umbrella, or as individuals or groups can register as Interested Parties to offer their own Local Impact Reports or views directly to the DCO Examination process and also to make their views known to local authorities via representations.
The plan therefore is for PCS to submit timely local impact representations to both ADC and WSCC asking Council Officers to take those views, local knowledge and evidence into account and to Reference them in the Council’s own Local Impact Reports that they hire external consultants to prepare on our behalf. The DCO process is such that Councils may take into account our views and evidence at their discretion. And Councils are not obligated to have public consultations on Consultant-prepared impact reports that they arrange, but may do so if they wish.
Thus in parallel, the PCS local impact report (offering community based research, evidence, local knowledge and views) will also be directly submitted to the 3-4 person Rampion 2 Examination Authority Panel as an Interested Party Representation sometime early next year, once the Examination Panel is constituted and calls for such Representations.
The Examination Panel after a fixed 6 months of quasi judicial Hearings only open to those registered as Interested Parties will then consider the views and evidence it has received and recommend to Government whether the commercially preferred development should proceed as the RWE proposes in its Application, whether it should be refused outright, or if modifications are needed to avoid or minimise local impacts and better achieve UK Policy aims.
Drafts of the PCS Local Impact representations will be openly shared for comment by individuals and community groups, area MPs and Councillors likely early 2023. Timing depends on when the RWE submits its Application, expected before September 2022.
What you can do to have an influence on the outcome of this project:
Register your name with the Planning Inspectorate. This will enable you to get news as it happens and to be able to submit comments and arguments directly
RWE/Rampion 2 Wind Farm Application is shortly to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for a Development Control Order (DCO) decision to approve or refuse – Register online
Once submitted, the Planning Inspectorate will then have 28 days to examine and either accept or decline the application. At the end of this period – providing all the statutory regulations have been followed and if accepted – the Planning Inspectorate must confirm the scheme to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project that typically shortcuts the process for a final decision to about 16 months as opposed to several years when considered by local planning authorities.
You have a chance to make a difference – this is not yet a done deal. Much can still be gained by mitigating argument. Your input is integral in planning the future of the Sussex Bay coast and horizon. The Planning Inspectorate needs to be aware of those who seriously care about the area and wish to comment on the application submitted – this is your right to do so. To Register your Interest is therefore crucial. You will be officially updated at each stage of the process to final approval by Kwasi Kwarteng MP – Minister of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.
At the point of submission, the full details, programme, and procedural matters will be published on the Planning Inspectorate website. During the examination of the application only those registered as an Interested Party with the Inspectorate will be able to submit written comments on the application and participate later in public meetings but you must register within the 28 day period. The submission will be publicised in the local press.