The Drainage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Assistance in the preparation of environmental statements

13.—(1) Subject to paragraph (6), where the Department is required to prepare an environmental statement in pursuance of regulation 10 it may consult with any person to determine whether that person has in his possession any information which may be relevant to the preparation of the environmental statement and if that person has any such information, he shall make that information available to the Department.

(2) Where the Department has prepared an environmental statement in relation to any proposed drainage works, and complied with the requirements of regulation 12(3), the Department, the Drainage Council, or as the case may be, the Commission acting in accordance with regulation 16(9), may determine that further information is required.

(3) Subject to paragraph (6), the Department may consult with any person to determine whether that person has in his possession any additional information and if that person has any such information, he shall make that information available to the Department.

(4) Where, pursuant to paragraph (3), the Department obtains any additional information it shall—

(a) by general and local advertisement, state that the additional information is available, and give details of the places where and times at which a copy of that additional information may be inspected or obtained and, if a charge is to be made for any such copy under regulation 14, the amount of the charge; and

(b) state that any person who wishes to make representations in relation to the additional information should make such representations in writing to the Department at the address specified in the advertisement within 30 days of the date of the publication of the notice in the Belfast Gazette.

(5) At the same time as the notice in the Belfast Gazette is published under paragraph (4)(a), the Department shall—

(a) send copies of the additional information to each consultation body; and

(b) make available for inspection at an office of the Department or at some other convenient place, for a period of at least 30 days following the date of the publication of the notice in the Belfast Gazette, the additional information, the details of the proposed works in question and the environmental statement relating to the drainage works, and ensure that a reasonable number of copies of the information are made available.

(6) Nothing in paragraph (1) or (3) shall require the disclosure by any person of information which is capable of being treated as confidential under regulation 12(1), or must be so treated under regulation 13(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004(1).

(7) Any person making information available to the Department in accordance with paragraph (1) or (3) may make a reasonable charge reflecting the cost thereof and the Department shall pay that charge.

(1)

S.I. 2004 No. 3391