PART 7MISCELLANEOUS AND GENERAL
Appeals relating to the Control of Pollution Act 1974I147
1
The undertaker may appeal in the event that a local authority issues a notice under section 60 (control of noise on construction sites), or does not give consent or grants consent but subject to conditions, under section 61 (prior consent for work on construction sites) of the Control of Pollution Act 197482.
2
The appeal process is as follows—
a
any appeal by the undertaker must be made within 42 days of the date of the notice of the decision, or the date by which a decision was due to be made, as the case may be;
b
the undertaker must submit the appeal documentation to the Secretary of State and must on the same day provide copies of the appeal documentation to the local authority and affix a notice to a conspicuous object on or near the site of the works which are the subject of such appeal, which must give details of the decision of the local authority and notice that an appeal has been made together with the address within the locality where the appeal documents may be inspected and details of the manner in which representations on the appeal may be made;
c
as soon as is practicable after receiving the appeal documentation, the Secretary of State must appoint a person to consider the appeal (“the appointed person”) and must notify the appeal parties of the identity of the appointed person, a start date and the address to which all correspondence for their attention should be sent;
d
the local authority must submit their written representations to the appointed person in respect of the appeal within 10 business days of the start date and must ensure that copies of their written representations and any other representations as sent to the appointed person are sent to each other and to the undertaker on the day on which they are submitted to the appointed person;
e
the appeal parties must make any counter-submissions to the appointed person within 10 business days of receipt of written representations under sub-paragraph (d); and
f
the appointed person must make a decision and notify it to the appeal parties, with reasons, as soon as reasonably practicable.
3
4
In the event that the appointed person considers that further information is necessary to enable the appointed person to consider the appeal, the appointed person must as soon as practicable notify the appeal parties in writing specifying the further information required, the appeal party from whom the information is sought, and the date by which the information is to be submitted.
5
Any further information required under paragraph (4) must be provided by the party from whom the information is sought to the appointed person and to other appeal parties by the date specified by the appointed person.
6
The appointed person must notify the appeal parties of the revised timetable for the appeal on or before that day.
7
8
On an appeal under this paragraph, the appointed person may—
a
allow or dismiss the appeal; or
b
reverse or vary any part of the decision of the local authority (whether the appeal relates to that part of it or not),
and may deal with the application as if it had been made to the appointed person in the first instance.
9
The appointed person may proceed to a decision on an appeal taking into account such written representations as have been sent within the relevant time limits and in the sole discretion of the appointed person such written representations as have been sent outside the relevant time limits.
10
The appointed person may proceed to a decision even though no written representations have been made within the relevant time limits, if it appears to the appointed person that there is sufficient material to enable a decision to be made on the merits of the case.
11
The decision of the appointed person on an appeal is final and binding on the parties, and a court may entertain proceedings for questioning the decision only if the proceedings are brought by a claim for judicial review.
12
Except where a direction is given under paragraph (13) requiring some or all of the costs of the appointed person to be paid by the local authority, the reasonable costs of the appointed person must be met by the undertaker.
13
The appointed person may give directions as to the costs of the appeal and as to the parties by whom such costs are to be paid.
14
In considering whether to make any such direction and the terms on which it is to be made, the appointed person must have regard to the relevant Planning Practice Guidance published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities or such guidance as may from time to time replace it.