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<p>Communications between Her Majesty’s Government and Lancashire County Council have
been carried out in accordance with the “Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues” published
by the Department for Communities and Local Government in February 2012. The merits
of the planning applications at Roseacre Wood and Little Plumpton have not been discussed.</p><p>Officials
from the Department for Communities and Local Government communicated with officials
from Lancashire County Council by telephone and by e-mail in September and October
2014 to obtain factual information on the total number of representations received
in relation to, and the local authority’s intended timescales for decisions on, both
planning applications. Two communications were held on 20 January between officials
from the Department and the local authority. One, by telephone between the Chief Executive
of the local authority and the Permanent Secretary, was to inform the department of
the officer recommendations that would be in the reports to be published at 9.00am
the following day. The other was an e-mail from Lancashire County Council to advise
when the reports would be published and where they would be made available on their
website.</p><p>In developing part of the £5 million Government shale support package
that was announced in the Autumn Statement 2014, there were also telephone conversations
between officials, one in December 2014 and one in January 2015, to try and identify
areas where local authority resources come under most pressure when processing these
type of applications.</p><p>On 3 November 2014, Department of Energy and Climate Change
(DECC) officials wrote to Lancashire County Council to provide comments on the relevant
aspects of DECC’s regulatory role that might be helpful in considering the applications.
On 17 November 2014, 19 January 2015 and 26 January 2015, DECC officials wrote two
letters and an email in response to specific requests from Lancashire County Council
officials, seeking views from DECC on certain comments received in the public consultation
on the planning applications. DECC’s responses addressed only matters which fall under
DECC’s regulatory responsibilities.</p><p>The Minister of State, Matt Hancock, met
with the deputy leader of Lancashire County Council on 12 November 2014, as part of
a regional visit. This meeting did not discuss the merits of the planning applications.
A meeting with officials to follow up was arranged (by email and telephone) for 14
January but after further consideration was postponed until after the planning decisions.</p><p>A
DECC official was invited to attend the meetings of the development control committee
considering the planning applications on 28 and 29 January, to advise if necessary
on DECC’s regulatory responsibilities. After due consideration of this request, DECC
officials confirmed on 27 January that they would not attend.</p><p>The Director of
Public Health at Lancashire County Council wrote to DECC in January asking for comments
on the Health Impact Assessment, and DECC officials replied on 20 January to say they
could not respond ahead of the Council’s decisions.</p>
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