The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010

Major infrastructure projects: economic impact report

15.—(1) This article only applies in relation to major infrastructure projects where the Secretary of State has given a direction under section 76A(2) of the 1990 Act (major infrastructure projects).

(2) An economic impact report (“the report”) prepared by an applicant in accordance with section 76A(5) of the 1990 Act shall be in the form set out in Schedule 4 to this Order (or in a form substantially to the like effect).

(3) Subject to paragraph (5), the report shall contain the applicant’s estimates of the overall economic impact at—

(a)local level;

(b)regional level; and

(c)national level,

of the project for which planning permission or approval, as the case may be, is sought.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraphs (2) and (3), each estimate shall—

(a)include estimates specific to employment, investment and economic output; and

(b)separately identify the costs and benefits falling on or accruing to the local, regional or national community as the case may be.

(5) The estimates shall exclude factors which would lead to benefits being counted more than once.

(6) The report shall—

(a)state the assumptions made in preparing the estimates;

(b)state the sources of information used to produce the estimates; and

(c)where there is uncertainty as to any matter relevant to the estimates, explain that uncertainty.

(7) The report shall be submitted to the Secretary of State not later than 15 weeks after the date on which the applicant received from the Secretary of State a written request for its submission.

(8) The applicant shall, on submitting the report to the Secretary of State, publish in a local newspaper circulating in the locality in which the land to which the application relates is situated a notice stating—

(a)the applicant’s name and that the applicant is the applicant for planning permission or approval, as the case may be;

(b)the name and address of the local planning authority;

(c)the date on which the application was made and that it has been referred to the Secretary of State for determination as a major infrastructure project;

(d)the location and nature of the proposed development;

(e)an address in the locality at which the report may be inspected, and the latest day on which it will be available for inspection (being a date not less than 21 days from the date on which the notice is published);

(f)an address in the locality (whether or not the same as that given under sub-paragraph (e)) at which copies of the report may be obtained, on payment of a reasonable charge;

(g)the address of any website maintained by the applicant where a copy of the report may be viewed; and

(h)that any person wishing to make representations about the report should make them in writing, before the date stated in accordance with sub-paragraph (e), to the Secretary of State and the address to which such representations should be sent.

(9) The applicant shall afford to any person who so requests a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, where practicable and on payment of a reasonable charge, take copies of the report.

(10) In this article—

“economic output” means the estimate of changes to either Gross Domestic Product or Gross Value Added as a result of the project;

“local” for the purposes of paragraphs (3)(a) and (4)(b) means within the area of the relevant local planning authority; and

“regional” means relating to a region specified in Schedule 1 to the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 (regions)(1).