We would like to take this opportunity to thank you if you took the time to provide us with feedback. Your views are important to us.
As part of the statutory consultation process we engaged with the local community – distributing more than 13,000 leaflets to homes and businesses in the vicinity of the site in advance of a series of public exhibitions at Llangyfelach, Felindre, Clydach and Tircoed between 22 and 25 October 2014. Across the four days, more than 100 people visited the exhibitions. We have also liaised closely – and continue to do so – with the City & County of Swansea and relevant community councils.
In addition, we have been in contact with stakeholders such as Natural Resources Wales, Cadw and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. We anticipate that these and other technical stakeholders will provide comments, following this formal consultation stage, which we will consider as we finalise our Development Consent Order application.
The feedback received during the public exhibitions was broadly positive. We are continuing to refine our proposals where concerns were raised, in particular to mitigate the potential visual impact of the Project where possible and to secure the preferred access option from the B4489 to the west of the Project site.
Comments on the Project, and its operation as a flexible, peaking power plant which would support security of energy supply in the future were also received from local people.
Following consideration of all responses returned by stakeholders and the local community, we are now focused on refining our design and submitting an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate in the first quarter of 2015. That application will be accompanied by an Environmental Statement, which will provide detailed information on a range of topics, including air quality, noise and vibration, landscape and visual impact and traffic, transport and access.
The application will also include a Consultation Report. This document will describe how we have had regard to feedback received and indicate how this has been taken into account in the development and design of the project.
Once the application has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and accepted for examination, the application documents, including the Environmental Statement and the Consultation Report, will be available to view and download from this website, from the Abergelli Power Limited project pages of the Planning Inspectorate’s website and to view at local libraries and council offices. Hard copies of the application documents will also be available to buy.
Once the application is accepted for examination, it will proceed through the examination phase where the local community and other relevant stakeholders can make representations to the Planning Inspectorate. Assuming that the application is submitted in early 2015, we would expect a decision from the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change in the middle of 2016 and, subject to further permitting and financing, the Project could enter commercial operation in 2019/2020.
If you have any queries relating to the project, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling 0131 550 3395, sending an email to [email protected] or by writing FREEPOST RTEY-JYYB-ERSR, Abergelli Power Ltd, 49 York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3JD.
