The Secretary of State for Transport (Louise Haigh)
This statement confirms that it is necessary to extend the deadline for a decision on the application by Tritax Symmetry (Hinckley) Ltd under the Planning Act 2008 for the Hinckley national rail freight interchange development consent order (“the application”).
Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, a decision on an application must be made within three months of receipt of the examining authority’s report unless the power under section 107(3) is exercised to extend the deadline and a written ministerial statement is made to the Parliament announcing the new deadline.
The Secretary of State received the examining authority’s report on 10 June 2024. The current deadline for a decision on the application is, therefore, 10 September 2024.
The deadline for the decision is extended to 10 March 2025. The Department will however endeavour to issue the decision ahead of the extended deadline of 10 March 2025 where possible.
The reason for the extension to the decision deadline is that while the Secretary of State is minded to agree with the examining authority’s recommendation that she should withhold consent, she wishes to gather further information on certain matters and to allow for the analysis of that further information before taking her final decision. She is therefore publishing a letter today which explains why, having weighed the benefits and adverse effects of the proposed development, she is minded to refuse consent and sets out those matters on which she requires further information.
The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the Secretary of State’s decision on whether to grant the application development consent.
[HCWS78]