The Thurrock Flexible Generation Plant Development Consent Order 2022

AppealE+W+S

29.—(1) The undertaker may appeal in the event that—

(a)the discharging authority refuses an application for any consent, agreement or approval required by a requirement included in this Order or grants it subject to conditions; or

(b)the discharging authority does not give notice of its decision to the undertaker within the time period specified in paragraph 25.

(2) The appeal process is to be as follows—

(a)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 relevant planning authority and any consultee required to be consulted pursuant to the requirement which is the subject of the appeal (together with the undertaker, these are the “appeal parties”);

(b)as soon as is practicable after receiving the appeal documentation, the Secretary of State must appoint a person (“the appointed person”) to determine the appeal and must notify the appeal parties of the identity of the appointed person and the address to which all correspondence for their attention should be sent, the date of such notification being the “start date” for the purposes of this sub-paragraph (2);

(c)the relevant planning authority and any consultee required to be consulted pursuant to the requirement which is the subject of the appeal must submit written representations to the appointed person in respect of the appeal within ten working days of the start date and must ensure that copies of their written representations are sent to each other and to the undertaker on the day on which they are submitted to the appointed person;

(d)the appeal parties must make any counter-submissions to the appointed person within ten working days of receipt of written representations pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)(c); and

(e)the appointed person must make their decision and notify it to the appeal parties, with reasons, as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within thirty working days of the deadline for the receipt of counter-submissions pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)(d).

(3) The appointment of the person pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)(b) may be undertaken by a person appointed by the Secretary of State for this purpose instead of by the Secretary of State.

(4) In the event that the appointed person considers that further information is necessary to consider the appeal, the appointed person must notify the appeal parties in writing specifying the further information required and the date by which the information is to be submitted and the appointed person must make any notification and set the date for the receipt of such further information having regard to the timescales in sub-paragraph (2).

(5) Any further information required under sub-paragraph (4) must be provided by the appeal party from whom the further information was requested to the appointed person and other appeal parties, the relevant planning authority and any consultee required to be consulted pursuant to the requirement the subject of the appeal on the date specified by the appointed person (the “specified date”), and the appointed person must notify the appeal parties of the revised timetable for the appeal on or before that day. The revised timetable for the appeal must require submission of written representations to the appointed person within ten working days of the specified date but otherwise is to be in accordance with the process and time limits set out in sub-paragraphs (2)(c) to (2)(e).

(6) On an appeal under this sub-paragraph, the appointed person may—

(a)allow or dismiss the appeal; or

(b)reverse or vary any part of the decision of the relevant planning authority (whether the appeal relates to that part of it or not).

(7) The appointed person may proceed to a decision on an appeal taking into account only such written representations as have been sent within the relevant time limits.

(8) 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 and may deal with the application as if it had been made to the appointed person in the first instance.

(9) The decision of the appointed person on an appeal is to be 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.

(10) If an approval is given by the appointed person pursuant to this article, it is to be deemed to be an approval for the purpose of Schedule 2 as if it had been given by the relevant planning authority. The relevant planning authority may confirm any determination given by the appointed person in identical form in writing but a failure to give such confirmation (or a failure to give it in identical form) is not to be taken to affect or invalidate the effect of the appointed person’s determination.

(11) Save where a direction is given pursuant to sub-paragraph (12) requiring the costs of the appointed person to be paid by the relevant planning authority, the reasonable costs of the appointed person must be met by the undertaker.

(12) On application by the relevant planning authority or the undertaker, the appointed person may give directions as to the costs of the appeal parties and as to the parties by whom the costs of the appeal are to be paid. 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 Planning Practice Guidance: Appeals (March 2014) or any circular or guidance which may from time to time replace it.