Decision details
Decision Maker: Corporate Director (Planning and Community)
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Purpose:
Tendring District Council have been working
with Essex County Council to provide technical input into the full
planning process for the Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm
development. The proposed route corridor assumes a 132kV
underground connection will be made to the proposed East Anglia
Green 400kV Norwich to Tilbury powerline and a new substation in
the Lawford/Ardleigh/Great Bromley area. It is also assumed that a
separate customer sub-station serving the Five Estuaries
development is likely to be located close to the new 400kV
substation.
The Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) sets out the areas where
there is agreement between Tendring District Council, Essex County
Council and the applicant Five Estuaries Offshore Wind Farm. As
part of the process of preparing the Statement of SoCG there are
also areas where the parties are not agreed, these are matters for
the Planning Inspectorate to decide upon.
Authority for Delegated Decision:
Part 3, Schedule 3 – Responsibility for Executive Functions
delegated to Officers paragraph 4.3 (1) – the Corporate
Director has delegated authority to discharge executive functions
within their respective service areas (Part 3.38). All delegations
are subject to consultation where considered appropriate in the
circumstances (paragraph 4.3 (4(ii) – Part 3.39).
Decision:
To sign up Tendring District Council to the
Statement of Common Ground.
Alternative options considered:
Option 1 – TDC to actively engage with
the SoCG process because it assists the Planning Inspectorate
provide clarity on matters that is common ground between the
applicant and TDC, but more importantly, it gives clarity on
matters that are not common ground between applicant and TDC. This
option includes signing the SoCG.
Option 2 – Do not actively engage with SoCG process,
implications of which will be a failure of TDC to identify and
agree matters that are common ground between applicant and TDC and
areas of disagreement. Due to inactivity TDC would be unable to
sign the SoCG and therefore not a signatory/party to it.
Publication date: 13/02/2025
Date of decision: 10/01/2025