Consenting process

As each of the Dogger Bank projects will have generating capacities greater than 100MW, they will be subject to individual development consent orders from a new national infrastructure directorate which will take over from the current Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC).


The IPC was established in October 2009 under the Planning Act 2008 to streamline the planning system for nationally significant infrastructure projects, such as offshore wind farms.

The Planning Act 2008 also provided for National Policy Statements (NPSs) incorporating environmental, social and economic objectives and clarifying the need for infrastructure; a single consents regime, and a new duty on developers to ensure stronger community engagement prior to applications being submitted.

Further changes aimed at improving the democratic accountability of major infrastructure planning will be introduced this year through a Decentralisation and Localism Bill. These changes will include the opportunity for both Houses of Parliament to vote on NPSs and for the Secretary of State to make the final decision on each project. The IPC will be abolished and its functions will transfer to the Planning Inspectorate. To support these arrangements a new national infrastructure directorate to examine applications is being created within the Planning Inspectorate.

As they will have an impact on the seabed, each of the Dogger Bank projects is also likely to require an individual Marine Licence. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) generally carries out this licensing and enforcement function on behalf of the Secretary of State. However in the case of nationally significant infrastructure projects, this function may be managed by the new national infrastructure directorate with the MMO as a statutory consultee.  In taking authorisation or enforcement decisions, the directorate must do so in accordance with the Marine Policy Statement and relevant Marine Plans as well as with NPSs.


Project development and consenting process
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Notification of the proposal application to the new national infrastructure directorate
 Indentification of project specific stakeholders Consultation on approach to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and site selection process
 Continuation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process Stakeholder consultation and feedback Further consultation
prior to application		 Submission of final ES and Consultation Report as part of the application for consent Examination of application by the new national infrastructure directorate and decision by the Secretary of State
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Preliminary consultation with technical consultees

Publication of Statement
of Community Consultation
(SOCC) following agreement
with local authorities

Initial presentation
of proposals to
stakeholders including the local community

Ongoing onshore and
offshore environmental
surveys, studies, research
and engagement with technical consultees on the EIA methodology.

This may include the collated opinion on the Scoping Report

Preliminary Environmental
Information (PEI) made
available to stakeholders

Consultation with stakeholders including the
local community via meetings, consultation
events, publications and
direct mail

Feedback mechanisms
include website, 0800
number and freepost

 Additional stakeholder
consultation with the
provision of updated PEI
incorporating feedback
from former consultation
responses and providing
information on the detailed proposals and potential impacts