The Planning Act 2008 North Killingholme Power Project Examining Authority’s Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change _______________________________________ Examining Authority Lead Member Member Member Kelvin MacDonald Martin Broderick Alan Novitzky Report to the Secretary of State 1 North Killingholme Power Project This page intentionally left blank Report to the Secretary of State 1 North Killingholme Power Project ExA’s findings and conclusions and recommendation in respect of an application for a Development Consent Order for a new thermal generating station that would operate either as a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant or as an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant, with a total electrical output of up to 470MWe at North Killingholme, Lincolnshire. File Ref EN010038 . The application, dated 25 March 2013, was made under Section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 and was received in full by The Planning Inspectorate on 25 March 2013. The applicant is C.GEN Killingholme Limited. The application was accepted for examination on 19 April 2013. The examination of the application began on 12 September 2013 and was completed on 11 March 2014. The development proposed comprises a new thermal generating station that would operate either as a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant or as an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant, with a total electrical output of up to 470MWe at North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, together with associated development. Summary of Recommendation: The Examining Authority recommends that the Secretary of State should make the Order in the form attached. The Examining Authority recommends that the Secretary of State should withhold consent for the request for powers for compulsory acquisition in respect of certain statutory undertakers and plots. Report to the Secretary of State 1 North Killingholme Power Project ERRATA SHEET – North Killingholme Power Project - Ref. EN010038 Examining authority’s Report of Findings and Conclusions and Recommendation to the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, dated 11 June 2014 Corrections agreed by the Examining Authority prior to a decision being made Page No. Paragraph Error Correction 106 6.13 Third bullet, second line: ‘CA2/41’ ‘C2/41’ 133 6.169 ‘With unknown category 2 ‘With unknown category 2 ownership on fourteen ownership on sixteen plots…’ plots…’ 137 6.199 ‘…the ExA is recommending ‘…the ExA is recommending that powers of CA are that powers of CA are granted only in respect of granted only in respect of Network Rail Infrastructure.’ Network Rail Infrastructure and of unknown category 2 owners.’ 141 6.231 ‘With unknown category 2 ‘With unknown category 2 ownership on seven plots…’ ownership on eight plots …’ 142 6.241 ‘With unknown category 2 ‘With unknown category 2 ownership on three plots …’ ownership on four plots…’ 143 6.251 Plot 07/02 is missing Add plot 07/02 to paragraph 143 6.253 Text in italics Read as standard format text 151 6.295 Plot 07/02 is missing Add plot 07/02 to paragraph 2 of the Schedule ‘PART 6 — For the Protection Remove ‘Error! Bookmark not recomme 8, Part 6 of Able Humber Ports Limited defined’ nded DCO Error! Bookmark not defined’. 2 of the Schedule ‘PART 7 — Interfaces with Remove ‘Error! Bookmark not recomme 8, Part 7 Hornsea Project Companies defined’ nded DCO Error! Bookmark not defined’. 20 of the Article 34 ‘(b) the land plans ‘(b) the land plans recomme (Document Reference Nos 2.1 (Document Reference Nos 2.1 nded DCO to 2.14, dated 20 March to 2.14, dated 20 March 2014);’ 2013);’ Section Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 4 EXAMINATION PROCESS ............................................................... 4 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT .......................................................... 6 2 MAIN FEATURES OF THE PROPOSAL AND SITE ................................. 7 THE APPLICATION ...................................................................... 7 GAS SUPPLY CONNECTION ............................................................ 9 SOLID FUEL HANDLING AND DELIVERY .............................................. 9 GRID CONNECTION ................................................................... 10 COOLING WATER CONNECTION ..................................................... 10 PROGRAMME FOR THE DEVELOPMENT ............................................. 10 AMENDMENTS TO APPLICATION DURING EXAMINATION ......................... 11 PLANNING HISTORY .................................................................. 11 EUROPEAN SITES ..................................................................... 14 3 LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT ...................................................... 16 PLANNING ACT 2008, AS AMENDED ............................................... 16 NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENTS .................................................... 16 INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS ........................................................................ 17 LOCAL IMPACT REPORT .............................................................. 17 EUROPEAN REQUIREMENTS AND RELATED UK REGULATIONS ................... 18 MARINE AND COASTAL ACCESS ACT 2009 ....................................... 22 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY ....................................................... 23 THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN/CORE STRATEGY ............................... 26 THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S POWERS TO MAKE A DCO ......................... 28 4 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS IN RELATION TO POLICY AND FACTUAL ISSUES ..................................................................................... 30 MAIN ISSUES IN THE EXAMINATION ............................................... 30 DESIGN, LAYOUT AND VISIBILITY .................................................. 37 ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS ......................................................... 45 BIODIVERSITY AND GEOLOGICAL CONSERVATION ............................... 51 THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT ...................................................... 62 LAND USE ............................................................................. 68 NOISE AND VIBRATION .............................................................. 69 POLLUTION CONTROL AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY REGIMES . 70 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS ....................................................... 71 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS ........................................................ 71 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT ........................................................... 79 WASTE MANAGEMENT INCLUDING BIOMASS ...................................... 88 WATER QUALITY AND RESOURCES ................................................. 88 5 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS IN RELATION TO HABITATS REGULATIONS ........................................................................... 90 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 90 PROJECT LOCATION .................................................................. 90 HRA IMPLICATIONS OF PROJECT ................................................... 91 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS RESULTING FROM THE PROJECT, ALONE AND IN COMBINATION ........................................................................ 94 CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES ....................................................... 96 Report to the Secretary of State 2 North Killingholme Power Project FINDINGS IN RELATION TO EFFECTS ON THE INTEGRITY OF EUROPEAN SITES 97 CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS/IMPERATIVE REASONS OF OVERIDING PUBLIC INTEREST(IROPI) .......................................... 103 6 COMPULSORY ACQUISITION ....................................................... 104 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 104 THE REQUEST FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION POWERS ...................... 104 THE LEGISLATIVE AND GUIDANCE CONTEXT ..................................... 104 HOW THE EXA EXAMINED THE CASE FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION ....... 106 ADEQUACY OF FUNDING ............................................................ 107 THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH THE LAND AND/OR RIGHTS ARE REQUIRED ..... 111 ALTERNATIVES ....................................................................... 112 SPECIFIC GROUPS OF AFFECTED PERSONS AND TYPES OF LAND .............. 113 THE APPLICANT'S CASE FOR ACQUISITION OF LAND AND RIGHTS FOR DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................... 120 THE APPLICANT'S CASE FOR ACQUISITION OF LAND AND RIGHTS NOT FOR DEVELOPMENT APPLIED FOR ....................................................... 143 DELIVERABILITY ..................................................................... 174 7 DRAFT DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER ...................................... 176 ARTICLES ............................................................................. 176 REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................... 185 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS INTRODUCED DURING THE EXAMINATION ..... 191 GENERAL POINTS .................................................................... 192 DEEMED MARINE LICENCE .......................................................... 192 LAND OF WHICH TEMPORARY PERMISSION MAY BE TAKEN ....... 193 OTHER LEGAL AGREEMENTS ....................................................... 193 8 SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 195 Appendices Contents