Planning Consent Awarded

The Kentish Flats offshore wind project received its primary development consent under the Electricity Act 1989, Section 36, with a consent date recorded as 01/03/2003 and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) identified as the relevant authority. In the UK consenting framework, a Section 36 consent constitutes the core planning/development authorisation for electricity generating stations above a specified capacity threshold, and its grant is a key precondition for progressing a project towards construction and operation. The table in the government’s Habitats Regulations Assessment review lists Kentish Flats as an offshore wind project with an installed capacity of 90 MW, consented under this statutory route. Within the same tabular entry, the project’s status is shown as “Active/In Operation,” indicating that, subsequent to the 2003 Section 36 consent, Kentish Flats advanced through construction into operational service. The consent entry captures the formal approval point rather than later milestones such as completion or first operation, which are treated separately in the wider review. By documenting the exact consent date, consent type and competent authority, the publication provides clear regulatory evidence of when national-level development permission for the original 90 MW Kentish Flats offshore wind farm was granted, forming the legal basis for its eventual construction and operation.