In May 2011 Augean wrote to a wide range of community organisations and community members to explain that Augean PLC were preparing a planning application for their East Northants Resource Management Facility near Kings Cliffe in Northamptonshire.
The application is for the alteration of an existing facility and the construction of a new facility for the recovery and disposal of hazardous waste to include the disposal of low level radioactive waste. The application is for an extension in time and capacity for the operation of the existing soil treatment facility and an extension in time and area for the landfill disposal of hazardous waste and low level radioactive waste as well as other associated development. The documentation that was provided for review at that time was:
Augean explained in May 2011 that although the planning application would be made to Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) in late 2011, Augean had chosen to follow the procedures of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) as the proposals would constitute a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project when the relevant section of the Planning Act 2008 was enacted. The Government introduced on 1 October 2011 the section of the Planning Act 2008 relating to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects for hazardous waste facilities and Augean are now obliged to submit the application to the IPC for determination rather than to NCC.
The objective of the IPC process is to provide an efficient system for the planning of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects while ensuring that stakeholders have a full opportunity to comment and engage in the decision making process. The system is front loaded, requiring public and other stakeholder engagement prior to submission of the application. The submitted application is subject to review by the IPC and stakeholders, followed by a hearing conducted by one or more commissioners from the IPC in which the application is examined in public. The IPC will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State who will make the decision.
Consistent with, and informed by, the IPC process we have already conducted a front loaded consultation exercise with the community and other stakeholders as specified by the relevant legislation and guidance. The communications and events earlier this year formed part of that consultation exercise. The application that will be submitted has already been amended where possible to reflect the comments and feedback that we have received during the consultation process. Click here for an updated table which explains the material changes that have been made and are being made to the development proposals and the application documents since the consultations carried out earlier in 2011.
However, there are still a number of procedural requirements that we have to fulfil before we can submit the application to the IPC. One of the procedural requirements is to provide you with an opportunity to make any further comments that you may have on the proposed development so that we can take them into account before the application is finalised and submitted to the IPC. The consultation documents referred to above are available on the Augean web site if you wish to review them again. A copy of the advertisement that is published in The Times, The Stamford Mercury and the London Gazette also is available by clicking here.
Please provide any comments that you may have to consultation@augeanplc.com or to Augean PLC, ENRMF, Stamford Road, Kings Cliffe, Northants, PE8 6XX. The deadline for the receipt of any further comments was 29 January 2012. Augean PLC request that responses should state the grounds of the representation, indicate who is making it and provide an address to which any correspondence relating to the representation may be sent. Please note that responses will be made public.