The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is carrying out a 4 week consultation seeking views on a draft report ‘Review of Consents for Major Infrastructure Projects and Special Protection Areas’.
The review is required as a result of new or updated Special Protection Area designations. When such changes occur the competent authority – in this case BEIS – is required to review decisions made regarding consents, permissions or other authorisations for all relevant plans or projects alone or in combination which are likely to have a significant effect on that SPA site. Many of the sites considered fall within the Irish Sea.