The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Martin McCluskey)
This statement concerns an application for development consent made under the Planning Act 2008 by RWE Renewables UK Dogger Bank South (West) Ltd and RWE Renewables UK Dogger Bank South (East) Ltd for the construction and operation of an offshore wind farm, made up of two array areas (Dogger Bank South East and Dogger Bank South West). The array areas are located entirely within the Dogger Bank special area of conservation in the North sea, approximately 100 to 122 km off the North Yorkshire coast.
Under section 107(1) of the Planning Act 2008, the Secretary of State must make a decision on an application within three months of the receipt of the examining authority’s report, unless exercising the power under section 107(3) of the Act to set a new deadline. Where a new deadline is set, the Secretary of State must make a statement to Parliament to announce it.
The statutory deadline for the decision on the Dogger Bank South offshore wind farms project was 10 January 2026. I have decided to allow an extension, and to set a new deadline of 30 April 2026. This is to allow time to request further information that was not provided for consideration during the examination period, and to give all interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on such information. While it is not my preference to extend, I am clear that applications for consent for energy projects submitted under the Planning Act 2008 must meet the necessary standards.
The decision to set the new deadline for this application is without prejudice to the decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent.
[HCWS1225]