Glossary

Agreement for Lease - An Agreement for Lease generally grants a developer an option over an area of seabed. Exercise of the option by the developer will be conditional on it satisfying certain conditions. If the conditions are satisfied and the developer exercises the option, The Crown Estate will be obliged to grant a lease of the seabed to the developer.

Consultation Report - A Consultation Report is the part of a DCO application that summarises an Applicant’s consultation activities to date, the feedback received and how this feedback has been taken into account.

Development Consent Order (DCO) - A DCO is the means of obtaining permission for developments categorised as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). See below.

DCO boundary - A DCO boundary is the boundary (sometimes referred to as ‘red line boundary’ or ‘order limits’) submitted as part of a DCO application. In North Falls’ case, the proposed DCO boundary represents a progression of the PEIR boundary it presented at its statutory consultation, which completed in July 2023.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) - proposal on the environment. EIAs ensure that project decision makers consider the likely effects on the environment at the earliest possible time and aim to avoid, reduce or offset those effects.

Environmental Statement - This will include a full factual description of the Project and its likely environmental effects. This is submitted as part of the Project’s DCO application.

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) - A Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) is the classification given to projects that are consented under the Planning Act 2008 DCO process. In the case of offshore wind, generating stations with a generating capacity above 100 megawatts (MW) are considered NSIPs.

Offshore array area - The offshore array area is the area that hosts a Project’s offshore infrastructure, including WTGs (see below), offshore platforms, subsea cables, and scour protection around foundations and subsea cables where required.

Onshore cable corridor - This refers to the area from landfall to the Project’s onshore substation zone, within which the onshore export cables and other associated infrastructure, such as cable ducts and link boxes, are located.

Onshore PEIR boundary - This relates to the extent of the project area presented in the Project’s PEIR, as published during last year’s statutory consultation.

Planning Act 2008 - The Planning Act 2008 (‘the Act’) provides the consenting regime for granting planning and other consents for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). These are large scale developments, both onshore and offshore, such as new harbours, roads, railways, power stations, and electricity transmission lines. The Act sets out the thresholds above which certain types of infrastructure development are considered to be nationally significant and in relation to which developers must seek development consent. The Secretary of State may also issue a direction, the effect of which is to bring a project into the remit of the Act.

Planning Inspectorate - The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency with responsibility for making decisions and providing recommendations and advice on a range of land use planning-related issues across England and Wales.

DCO applications are examined by a single inspector or a panel of inspectors from the Planning Inspectorate, known as the Examining Authority. On completion of the examination, the Examining Authority will provide a recommendation report to the Secretary of State who will decide whether development consent should be granted.

Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) - A Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) is a technical document that details the potential environmental impacts of a Project and the mitigations that are proposed.

Statutory consultation - Carrying out a statutory consultation during a Project’s pre-application stage is a formal requirement of the Planning Act 2008 and must be carried out in accordance with the Project’s Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC).

The Crown Estate - The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, which is neither government property nor part of the monarch’s private estate.

Transition joint bays - Transition joint bays are situated at a Project’s landfall point and are used to connect the offshore cabling to the onshore cable corridor.

Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) - WTGs use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the propellor-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity.