Today's entry reports on the publication of Local Impact
Reports for the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
For applications for nationally significant infrastructure
projects, Local Impact Reports (LIRs) are prepared by host, and if
they wish, neighbouring, local authorities. They express the
authorities' view of the expected impacts of the project on
their areas. LIRs have a special status when it comes to
making a decision on an application: other than National Policy
Statements (NPSs), they are the only documents that must be
specifically taken into account when deciding whether the adverse
impacts outweigh the benefits.
Until last week only around a dozen LIRs had been published so
far in relation to any project - see this blog entry for links to
them. 3 May was the deadline for LIRs to be submitted for the
proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and six councils
have chosen to do so: Somerset, West Somerset and Sedgemoor (the
host
