Abstract
Optimus Wind Limited and Breesea Limited (jointly referred to as the applicant) have applied to the Secretary of State for a development consent order (DCO) under section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended) for the proposed Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm (Zone 4) Project Two (the application). The Secretary of State has appointed an Examining Authority (ExA) to conduct an examination of the application, to report its findings and conclusions, and to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State as to the decision to be made on the application.
The relevant Secretary of State is the competent authority for the purposes of the Habitats Directive and the Habitats Regulations and the Offshore Marine Regulations for applications submitted under the Planning Act 2008 regime (as amended). The findings and conclusions on nature conservation issues reported by the ExA will assist the Secretary of State in performing their duties under the Habitats Regulations and the Offshore Marine Regulations.
This report compiles, documents and signposts information provided within the DCO application, and the information submitted throughout the examination by both the applicant and interested parties, up to examination deadline 5 (12 November 2015) in relation to potential effects to European Sites. The RIES makes reference to examination documents in the Planning Inspectorate’s document library. Each document is identified by a unique reference number in the document library. The RIES should be read in conjunction with these documents.
It is issued to ensure that interested parties including the statutory nature conservation bodies: Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Natural England (NE) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), are consulted formally on Habitats Regulations matters. This process may be relied on by the Secretary of State for the purposes of Regulation 61(3) of the Habitats Regulations and Regulation 25 of the Offshore Marine Regulations. Following consultation the responses will be considered by the ExA in making its recommendation to the Secretary of State and made available to the Secretary of State along with this report. The RIES is not revised following consultation.