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.