The Planning Inspectorate has announced details of the first preliminary hearing to consider the application by Swansea Bay plc for an order granting Development Consent for the proposed tidal lagoon project.

The preliminary meeting to discuss the examination procedure will take place on Tuesday 10 June in Swansea.

 The purpose of the preliminary meeting is to enable views to be put to the Panel about the way in which the application is to be examined – it deals only with procedure, and not the merits of the application itself. The merits of the application will be considered once the examination starts, which is after the preliminary meeting has closed.

 Interested parties are not however required to attend the preliminary meeting in order to participate in the examination – they will still be able to make written representations and participate in any subsequent hearings that are arranged.

Priority will be given to the applicant and those registered as interested parties, statutory parties, local authorities and invited persons before seating is allocated to other members of the public.

Agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. Welcome and Introductions

 2. Panel’s Introduction to the Examination Process

 3. Panel’s Introduction of Principal Issues

 4. Draft Timetable for the Examination –

• Deadline I: Notifications (including site inspections, hearings and submission of any updated documents)
• Deadline II: Written Representations (including responses to Panel’s questions, Local Impact Reports, Statements of Common Ground)
• Deadline III: Comments
• Deadline IV: Post-Hearing Documents
• Deadline V: Responses to habitat regulations Assessment Matrices and to draft Development Consent Order

 5. Close of the Preliminary Meeting

Click here for further details.