The deadline for the Council of Ministers to reach a decision on controversial wind farm proposals is January 14.
Menaka Sahai, chair of the Independent Examining Body for the application for the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm, has confirmed the timeline.
She said the body is due to submit its report and recommendation on the proposals by December 1. The statutory decision period is 30 working days, which would put the decision deadline at January 14.
However, the Council of Ministers has the power to extend that period.
“The Council of Ministers will publish our report as soon as is reasonably practicable after receiving it and no later than the publication of the decision,” she said.
Sahai was speaking on a video distributed by the government this week.
She stressed the Examining Body would only make the recommendation. The decision would rest with the Council of Ministers, which is not bound to follow the recommendation
Chris Thomas has confirmed that if CoMin did decide to approve the scheme, it would go before Tynwald.
Process to Make Recommendation
Among the factors the report will consider will be whether the Council of Ministers has sufficient environmental information to make its decision.
A key issue, Sahai said, would be: “Do the benefits the proposal could bring outweighthe harm it could cause?”
She said it was a common question in planning matters, known as the “planning balance” and would be central to the recommendation.
“A proposal can meet a policy and still cause harm. Meeting the policy does not on its own tell us how much harm that matters.”
The body will consider evidence on mitigation measures and assess the weight of any harms.
“The same judgement is needed for benefits. Identifying a benefit does not, by itself, establish how much weight it should carry.”
But deciding the weight of issues will not depend on the number of representations made. It will depend on the substance of the point and evidence supporting it.
“Our judgement depends on the importance of the benefit and adverse effects when considered together.”
She said its recommendation to the Council of Ministers would be based “only on what was before us during the examination”.
Earlier this year, the independent Examining Body held public hearings to consider submissions on the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm application by Ørsted.
You can watch the full video message by clicking the link below:
Independent Examining Body Message