THE process for authorising the construction or operation of railways, tramways, trolley vehicle systems and similar under the Transport and Works Act 1992 looks set to be streamlined, writes Gareth Evans.
A Department for Transport consultation that closed on April 7 outlined proposals to modernise the process to enable electronic applications instead of working solely with paper documents. The DfT said the current process is out of step with other planning processes, which already use electronic methods.
All relevant documents would still be provided to the DfT’s Transport and Infrastructure Planning Unit and any relevant statutory consultees, and the applicant would still be required to notify affected parties that it was making the application. However, the notice sent to affected parties would detail a website where the application documents can be found instead of a physical location where paper documents are available to view. Paper copies could still be provided when required, but only upon request.
Currently, a full set of application documents (potentially 20 or more lever arch files) will be delivered to an affected party, whether they intend to participate in the process or not.