In a w ritten statement to the Parliament, UK Minister of Transport Norman Baker has announced that the deadline for the decision on Able Marine Energy Park is extended to 18 December 2013:
I refer to the application made by Able Humber Ports Limited on 16 December 2011 under section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 regarding a proposed development known as the Able Marine Energy Park comprising a quay of solid construction on the south bank of the River Humber at Killingholme, together with an ecological compensation scheme on the opposite bank at Cherry Cobb Sands. I have been appointed by the Secretary of State to decide this application.
The original deadline for the decision on this application under section 107 of the Planning Act 2008 was 24 May 2013. On 21 May 2013 I made a statement to the House as required by that section announcing that I was setting a later deadline of 24 July 2013 for the decision. On 25 July 2013 I decided to set a new deadline for the decision of 28 August 2013 to allow time for further consideration of the application and informed the applicant and other interested parties accordingly.
Since my last statement, I can inform Parliament that the Crown Estate advised the department on 22 August 2013 that an agreement for a lease of the land required for the project had been reached with the applicant and that the Crown Estate was consequently giving consent in accordance with section 135 of the Planning Act 2008 for the above order to include compulsory acquisition and other provisions in relation to that land.
On 28 August 2013 the Department for Transport issued a letter to the applicant and other interested parties informing them that I am minded to give development consent for the project as recommended by the panel which examined the application. However, before reaching a final decision I have asked the applicant to provide further information about the likely effectiveness of the ecological compensation scheme and to provide assurance that the project will not jeopardise any future operations on the Killingholme Branch railway.
In order to allow time for the applicant to respond to the department’s letter, for interested parties to consider and comment on the applicant’s response, and for the department to assess all those responses, I am setting a new deadline for the decision on this application under section 107(3) of the Planning Act 2008 of 18 December 2013.
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Press release, September 3, 2013; Image: normanbaker