Halite Energy Group (Halite) was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) in 2015 to construct, manage and decommission up to 19 purpose-built underground gas storage caverns in Preesall with a storage capacity of up to 900 million standard cubic metres of gas. Before work can commence Halite has to fulfill various requirements set out in the DCO. The Development Consent Order is very complex with 41 requirements for Halite to fulfill in Schedule 9 alone, including detailed design approval, details of the total number and storage capacity of the operational caverns, an ecological management scheme, traffic times and limits to and from the site, and the control of noise during certain phases of construction. Wyre Council has the role of the 'relevant planning authority' that must discharge overall requirements with assistance from other agencies such as the Highways Authority.
Wyre Council uploads the documentation submitted by Halite onto its planning page. You can register and find all the relevant documents by searching for 'HALDIS'. As of May 2019 requirements had been signed off on archaeology, ecological management, noise management during the first four stages of development (related to access roads), permanent fencing for the first four stages of development, the landscape scheme, stripping of soil, highway accesses, the code of construction practices, and wheel cleaning. At a Community Liaison Panel meeting in January 2019 Halite discussed how the process was front heavy but that they had completed the majority of steps to start construction on the access road at least. However, there seems to have been nothing new submitted to Wyre (eg on dust requirements) since October 2018. The latest estimates for the beginning of construction of the access road in Preesall is late autumn 2019.
In addition to the Development Consent Order Wyre Council also has a Section 106 Agreement with Halite dating from 2012. Section 106 Agreements are legally binding contracts that allow the local planning authority to create a restriction or obligation with the granting of planning permission. The Section 106 Agreement between Wyre Council and Halite details additional obligations for Halite on local employment and sourcing, community liaison, decommissioning, contribution to Wyre for discharge and monitoring, legacy brine well monitoring and maintenance, compulsory purchase and traffic restrictions for access to the site in Preesall.
Wyre Council uploads the documentation submitted by Halite onto its planning page. You can register and find all the relevant documents by searching for 'HALDIS'. As of May 2019 requirements had been signed off on archaeology, ecological management, noise management during the first four stages of development (related to access roads), permanent fencing for the first four stages of development, the landscape scheme, stripping of soil, highway accesses, the code of construction practices, and wheel cleaning. At a Community Liaison Panel meeting in January 2019 Halite discussed how the process was front heavy but that they had completed the majority of steps to start construction on the access road at least. However, there seems to have been nothing new submitted to Wyre (eg on dust requirements) since October 2018. The latest estimates for the beginning of construction of the access road in Preesall is late autumn 2019.
In addition to the Development Consent Order Wyre Council also has a Section 106 Agreement with Halite dating from 2012. Section 106 Agreements are legally binding contracts that allow the local planning authority to create a restriction or obligation with the granting of planning permission. The Section 106 Agreement between Wyre Council and Halite details additional obligations for Halite on local employment and sourcing, community liaison, decommissioning, contribution to Wyre for discharge and monitoring, legacy brine well monitoring and maintenance, compulsory purchase and traffic restrictions for access to the site in Preesall.