In the wake of DECC Minister Greg Barker’s decision to reject Halite Energy’s application for an underground gas storage facility in Lancashire, PPS asks what is the role of politics in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) decision making process?
‘Democratic accountability’
Set up in 2009, the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was hailed as a fast-track regime [...]
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s planning permission for Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the i word (infrastructure) was in the spotlight once again as the Chancellor George Osborne announced his Budget for the coming financial year.
As widely mooted in the national press in recent days, the Chancellor committed to boost capital investment spending by [...]
After much anticipation and speculation, today the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, granted a development consent order (DCO) for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point C proposals for a 3,260 MW power station is the largest Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) to have [...]
Background
Following consultation on possible changes to the guidance documents for the major infrastructure planning regime, the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) has this month (January 2013) published a document entitled ‘Planning Act 2008: Guidance on the pre-application process’. This affects all proposals for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) promoted under the Planning [...]