The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Undetermined Reviews of Old Mineral Permissions) (Wales) Regulations 2009

18.—(1) A relevant mineral planning authority must, within 3 weeks of receipt of a draft environmental statement, comply with paragraph (3) and give written notification in accordance with one of the following–

(a) paragraph (6);

(b) paragraph (15); or

(c) paragraph (21).

(2) The Welsh Ministers must, within such period following receipt of a draft environmental statement as they may reasonably require, comply with paragraph (3) and give written notification in accordance with one of the following—

(a) paragraph (6);

(b) paragraph (15); or

(c) paragraph (21).

Requirement to check consistency between relevant scoping decision and draft environmental statement

(3) On receipt of a draft environmental statement a relevant mineral planning authority must check whether the content and extent of the information included in the draft environmental statement appears to be consistent with the relevant scoping decision.

(4) On receipt of a draft environmental statement in connection with an EIA application which was referred or appealed to the Welsh Ministers before the date on which these Regulations come into force, the Welsh Ministers must check whether the content and extent of the information included in the draft environmental statement appears to be consistent with the scoping direction notified under regulation 14(13).

(5) On receipt of a draft environmental statement in connection with an EIA application referred to the Welsh Ministers on or after the date on which these Regulations come into force, the Welsh Ministers must check whether the content and extent of the information included in the draft environmental statement appears to be consistent with the relevant scoping decision.

Notification requirements concerning material inconsistencies between relevant scoping decision and draft environmental statement

(6) If it appears to a relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers that the content or extent of the information included in a draft environmental statement submitted to them is materially inconsistent with the relevant scoping decision, the authority or the Welsh Ministers must give written notification to the applicant or appellant, or to a relevant operator–

(a) identifying clearly and precisely both the material inconsistency in question, and the information which is necessary to remedy the inconsistency (“specified information”); and

(b) of the matters set out in paragraph 12 of Schedule 3.

(7) For the purposes of paragraph (6), a relevant operator is any operator which the relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers reasonably consider is, or should be, able to provide specified information.

Requirement to provide specified information

(8) Specified information identified pursuant to a written notification given by a relevant mineral planning authority under paragraph (6) must be provided to that authority within 3 weeks of the date of the notification given under that paragraph, or such longer period as may be agreed in writing with the authority (“the relevant period”).

(9) Specified information identified pursuant to a written notification given by the Welsh Ministers under paragraph (6) must be provided to the Welsh Ministers within 3 weeks of the date of the notification given under that paragraph, or such longer period as may be agreed in writing with the Welsh Ministers (“the relevant period”).

(10) If specified information identified pursuant to a written notification under paragraph (6) is not provided within the relevant period mentioned in paragraph (8) or, as the case may be, paragraph (9), the planning permission to which the EIA application relates ceases to authorise any minerals development from the end of the relevant period in question.

(11) A relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers may withdraw a written notification given under paragraph (6) at any time before the expiration of the relevant period referred to in paragraph (8) or, as the case may be, paragraph (9).

Requirement to consider form in which draft environmental statement is presented

(12) If a relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers is or are satisfied that a draft environmental statement appears to contain all of the information specified in the relevant scoping decision, the authority or the Welsh Ministers (as the case may be) must consider whether the draft environmental statement is presented in an inappropriate form.

(13) Where a relevant mineral planning authority is satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (12) as a result of specified information received pursuant to written notification given under paragraph (6), the authority must, within 3 weeks of receipt of the specified information, comply with paragraph (12) and notify the applicant in writing in accordance with one of the following—

(a) paragraph (15); or

(b) paragraph (21).

(14) Where the Welsh Ministers are satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (12) as a result of specified information received pursuant to written notification given under paragraph (6), the Welsh Ministers must, within such period following receipt of the specified information as they may reasonably require, comply with paragraph (12) and notify the applicant or appellant in writing in accordance with one of the following—

(a) paragraph (15); or

(b) paragraph (21).

Notification requirements concerning form of draft environmental statement

(15) If a relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers reasonably consider that a draft environmental statement is presented in an inappropriate form, the authority or the Welsh Ministers (as the case may be) must notify the applicant or appellant in writing of—

(a) the changes which are required to be made to the form in which the draft environmental statement is presented; and

(b) the matters set out in paragraph 13 of Schedule 3.

Requirement to re-submit draft environmental statement

(16) Where changes are required to be made to the form of a draft environmental statement pursuant to a written notification given under paragraph (15), a further draft environmental statement incorporating those changes must be submitted in accordance with this regulation within 3 weeks of the date of the notification given under that paragraph, or such longer period as may be agreed in writing with the relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers, as the case may be (“the relevant period”).

(17) If a further draft environmental statement incorporating the changes required pursuant to a written notification given under paragraph (15) is not submitted within the relevant period mentioned in paragraph (16), the planning permission to which the EIA application relates ceases to authorise any minerals development from the end of that relevant period.

(18) A relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers may withdraw a written notification given under paragraph (15) at any time before the expiration of the relevant period referred to in paragraph (16).

Authority to which specified information or further draft environmental statement is to be provided following referral

(19) This paragraph applies where an EIA application is referred to the Welsh Ministers for determination—

(a) on or after the date on which written notification is given under paragraph (6) or (15); and

(b) before the specified information or, as the case may be, the further draft environmental statement, is submitted.

(20) Where paragraph (19) applies, the specified information or, as the case may be, the further draft environmental statement, must be submitted to the Welsh Ministers within the relevant period mentioned in paragraph (8) or, as the case may be, paragraph (16).

Instruction to publish environmental statement

(21) If a relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers is or are satisfied that a draft environmental statement submitted to it or them—

(a) appears to contain all of the information specified in the relevant scoping decision; and

(b) is not presented in an inappropriate form,

the authority or, as the case may be, the Welsh Ministers must give to the applicant or appellant the written notification specified in paragraph (24).

(22) Where a relevant mineral planning authority is satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (21) as a result of a further draft environmental statement received pursuant to written notification given under paragraph (15), the authority must, within 3 weeks of receipt of the further draft environmental statement, comply with paragraph (21).

(23) Where the Welsh Ministers are satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (21) as a result of a further draft environmental statement received pursuant to written notification given under paragraph (15), the Welsh Ministers must, within such period following receipt of the further draft environmental statement as they may reasonably require, comply with paragraph (21).

(24) The written notification referred to in paragraph (21) must—

(a) instruct the applicant or appellant to comply with regulation 20;

(b) specify the number of copies of the environmental statement required for the purposes of the duties imposed on the authority or, as the case may be, on the Welsh Ministers, by regulation 22;

(c) where the authority or the Welsh Ministers is or are aware that any particular person is or is likely to be affected by, or has an interest in, the application and who is unlikely to become aware of it by means of a site notice or by local advertisement, identify any such person;

(d) notify the applicant or appellant of the matters set out in paragraph 14 of Schedule 3.

Further information and evidence

(25) Written notification given pursuant to paragraph (21) does not preclude the relevant mineral planning authority or the Welsh Ministers from giving written notification under regulation 26 (further information) or 27 (evidence).