Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support the Government will give communities hosting (a) new nuclear power stations and (b) other nationally significant infrastructure projects (i) during and (ii) after construction, to ensure that they have the infrastructure necessary to support the development.
James Wharton
The potential impacts on communities, including infrastructure, are examined through the process for obtaining development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects under the 2008 Planning Act, which includes consent for new nuclear power stations.
In particular, the local planning authority is expected to produce a local impact report to outline the effects of the infrastructure on the local community and any mitigation that may be required. This mitigation may relate to infrastructure needed to support the development and may be monetary, secured through a section 106 agreement between the developer and other parties or a unilateral undertaking by the developer; or it may be physical changes to the application scheme.
In addition, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and other Government departments hold regular meetings with key stakeholders from local communities that are affected by proposed new nuclear projects. These meetings consider and address issues raised by the community, including infrastructure where appropriate.
