On Tuesday Sir Michael Pitt held a private meeting with representatives from the pressure groups along the proposed routes. He was joined by the chief executive and Mark Olsen who is the project manager for Hinckley C.
The objective was to hear what the IPC expected from promoters prior to submitting their application although they could not specifically discuss the case as it has not gone to application yet.
The IPC has just been established as an independent body to agree or reject large infrastructure projects and give a greater level of consultation with all interested parties and have a more efficient and fairer way to agree large projects.
The Planning Act 2008 sets out the legislation under which the IPC operate which is clear as to what should be done prior to application. Sir Michael confirmed that they expect a high standard of consultation prior to application being submitted as this is one of their first large scale projects they have had to make a decision on. They may advise the applicant on the quality of the application but not on the merits of the application.
The local authorities have a vital role as legal consultees in this process.
The application will be agreed or rejected 28 days after the application is submitted
The application is not expected to be submitted until summer 2011 and it was encouraging to know that the letter of the law will be followed.
