Decision over controversial Portland waste incinerator not expected until Autumn
There may be further consultation
No decisions are expected on the controversial Powerfuel energy recovery plant proposed for Portland until at least the autumn.
Dorset Council say there may also be another round of public and statutory consultation after officers asked the developers a series of questions about their current proposals.
It has also not yet been decided whether or not the application will be called in by the Secretary of State to make a decision on the Castletown plans.
Said a Dorset Council planning spokesman:
“In terms of what happens next, we are soon to issue a Regulation 25 request for further information from Powerfuel relating to issues that have been identified by the case officer and consultees. Once we receive a response from Powerfuel to this request we will undertake a further consultation on the additional information. We are working towards taking the application to the Strategic Planning Committee in the early autumn.”
He said that while the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has the power to take over (‘call in’) planning applications rather than letting the local authority decide, there is currently no indication that this may happen.
“The secretary of state will normally only do this if the application conflicts with national policy in important ways, or which raise issues of national significance. This can be done at any time during the planning application process, up to the point that the local planning authority makes the decision.
“The Secretary of State has to take published government policy into account when deciding whether or not to call in a planning application, and when making the decision. If the secretary of state decides to call in a planning application, an inspector is appointed to carry out an inquiry into the proposal. The secretary of state has to take the inspector’s findings into account when making the decision.”