Consultation and engagement so far
We held our statutory consultation between Thursday 16 May and Thursday 20 June 2024. We would like to thank everyone who took part in this consultation and provided feedback.
All information from our statutory consultation, including our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) and non-technical summary (NTS), can still be viewed on the ‘News and Resources’ page of this website.
Next steps
We will have regard to all comments received during the statutory consultation. All feedback is important to us and will help to influence the design of the Project.
The feedback received during statutory consultation will be reviewed and analysed to understand key themes and issues of importance.
We will set out a summary of the responses in a Consultation Report, which will detail how we have had regard to feedback and how feedback has influenced the proposals. This report will form part of our application for development consent which we expect to submit later this year.
Lighthouse Green Fuels is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), as it is deemed crucial for the UK’s national infrastructure. Under the Planning Act 2008, NSIPs need to seek a Development Consent Order (DCO) in order to be built and operated. It follows this specific planning route:
1. Pre-application and consultation:
We will hold a consultation to present our plans for Lighthouse Green Fuels. You will be able to inform us of your thoughts, together with the rest of the local community, local authorities and statutory consultees. Providing feedback will be vital to our final plans. At this stage we will also conduct an environmental impact assessment.
2. Application submission:
Having considered feedback from the consultation we will finalise and submit our DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate. This will include the detailed project proposals, and a consultation report summarising your feedback and how the project has developed.
3. Acceptance stage:
The Planning Inspectorate has 28 days to decide whether the application meets the standards to proceed to examination. If accepted, the application will be publicised.
4. Pre-examination:
Following acceptance, you can register as an Interested Party with the Planning Inspectorate to keep you informed of the process and to make representations. It ends with a preliminary meeting to set the examination timetable.
5. Examination:
A detailed examination of the application occurs, which must be completed within six months. The Examining Authority (appointed by the Planning Inspectorate) evaluates the project’s details, potential environmental impacts, and representations made by Interested Parties.
6. Decision:
Post-examination, the Examining Authority has three months to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then has a further three months to make the final decision on whether or not to grant a DCO for the project.
Indicative Project Timeline:
