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6.—(1) A person who is minded to apply for consent or, as the case may be, a licence as regards fish farming in marine waters may ask the relevant authority to state in writing their opinion as to the information to be provided in the environmental statement; and such an opinion is referred to in these Regulations as a “scoping opinion”.
(2) A request under paragraph (1) shall be accompanied by–
(a)a plan showing the location and extent of the site of the proposed fish farm;
(b)a brief outline of the proposed annual scale of production in tonnes (dead weight), the biomass capacity of the development, the equipment to be installed on site and of the possible effects of the development on the environment;
(c)a statement of the proposed servicing methods and of any intended associated development; and
(d)such other information or representations as the person making the request may wish to provide or make.
(3) The relevant authority receiving a request under paragraph (1) shall, if they consider that they have not been provided with sufficient information to give a scoping opinion, notify the person making the request of the particular points on which they require further information.
(4) The relevant authority shall not give a scoping opinion in response to a request under paragraph (1) until they have consulted the person who made the request and such bodies mentioned in Schedule 3 as they consider appropriate.
(5) The relevant authority shall, subject to paragraph (6), respond to such a request within 6 weeks commencing with the date of receipt of the request or such longer period as may be agreed in writing with the person making the request.
(6) Where a person has, at the same time as making a request for a screening opinion under paragraph (1) of regulation 4, asked the relevant authority for an opinion under paragraph (1) of this regulation, and the relevant authority have given a screening opinion to the effect that consideration of environmental information is required, the relevant authority shall give a scoping opinion within 6 weeks commencing with the date on which that screening opinion was given or such longer periods as may be agreed in writing with the person making the request.
(7) In giving a scoping opinion the relevant authority shall take into account–
(a)the specific characteristics of the proposed development; and
(b)the environmental features likely to be affected by the development.
(8) Where the relevant authority have given a scoping opinion in response to a request under paragraph (1) they shall not be precluded from requiring of the person to whom that opinion was given further information in connection with a statement submitted by the applicant which he refers to as an environmental statement for the purposes of these Regulations in connection with an application for consent or a licence for the same, or substantially the same, development as was referred to in the request.