The Secretary of State has made a non-material amendment to the Dogger Bank Creyke Beck Offshore Wind Farm Order 2015. Signed on 20 November 2025 and in force from 21 November 2025, the Order is issued under paragraph 2 of Schedule 6 to the Planning Act 2008 and restructures several requirements so that Project A and Project B can be considered, discharged and enforced separately.
Article 2 is adjusted to clarify that certain long-standing definitions now read differently for the purposes of Part 3 of Schedule 1. This makes space for revised definitions within the requirements, ensuring that references to onshore works, offshore works and shared works are project-specific where needed. The approach is consistent with the structure of the 2015 Development Consent Order, which grouped numbered Works into Project A, Project B and shared elements.
New and clarified definitions are inserted into Part 3 of Schedule 1. These define Project A converter station works and Project B converter station works as the respective electrical converter substations and compounds within Work No. 7. They also restate Project A offshore works and Project B offshore works by reference to the relevant numbered Works, and distinguish Project A onshore works and Project B onshore works from shared works. Shared works are confirmed as Work No. 7 excluding the converter station compounds, together with Works 10A–10F and associated development.
Article 11 on abandonment or decay is recast to allocate responsibilities to the relevant project company. Where Project A offshore works are abandoned or fall into decay, the Secretary of State may issue notice to Bizco 1 to repair, restore or remove the works and to make the site safe. Equivalent new provisions apply to Project B offshore works, with notices addressed to Bizco 4. Where removal occurs outside that process, the Secretary of State may, following consultation with the relevant statutory nature conservation body, require site restoration at Bizco 4’s expense. The change replaces generic references to “the undertaker” with named entities for enforcement clarity.
The Order revises paragraph 1 of the requirements to confirm that “onshore works” now means the sum of Project A onshore works, Project B onshore works and the shared works, as newly defined. It also clarifies that cable preparation works may be delivered as shared works, avoiding duplication where trenching or enabling activities serve both projects. This drafting removes ambiguity over which undertaker must discharge and comply with individual pre-commencement conditions for common activities.
Requirement 6(9) is updated by listing explicit Works to which it applies. For Project A, the reference now covers Works 1A, 2A, 2T and 3A; for Project B, Works 1B, 2B, 2BA, 2BC, 2T and 3B. Naming the Works avoids uncertainty that previously arose from broad references to “offshore works”, and confirms that the specified onshore elements are captured by the same control.
Requirement 16 on permanent fencing is split. Permanent fencing for the Project A converter station must be completed before any part of the relevant work is brought into use, mirrored for Project B. In addition, permanent fencing associated with the shared elements of Work No. 7 must be in place before any part of the Project A or Project B onshore works is brought into use. The staging is designed to secure the site interface where both projects rely on common infrastructure.
Requirement 19 on surface water management and flood risk schemes is also divided. The Project A converter station works must not commence until a detailed scheme is approved by the relevant planning authority following consultation with the Environment Agency; the same approval route applies to the Project B converter station works. The drafting change from “the scheme” to “each scheme” confirms that two distinct submissions are expected and assessed on their own merits.
Noise controls in Requirement 25 are refined to capture cumulative effects. The Project A converter station is limited to 35 dB LA90 under BS 4142, including when assessed together with the Project B converter station; the same limit applies to Project B, explicitly identifying receptor locations at Halfway House (504796, 436331), Model Farm (504011, 436576), Poplar Farm (503727, 435672) and Wanlass Farm (504385, 435168). A new restriction also confines standby generator testing for the Project B onshore works to 09:00–17:00 Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and public or bank holidays.
Requirement 26 on artificial lighting is reworked so that the Project A converter station retains a lighting scheme approved by the planning authority, and a parallel scheme is now required for the Project B converter station. For Project B, the approval follows consultation with the relevant statutory nature conservation body, and the approved scheme must be implemented and maintained throughout operation of the Project B onshore works.
Telecommunications protections in Requirement 30 are allocated by project. Bizco 1 must submit a remediation scheme if operation of the Project A onshore works and the shared works gives rise to interference with telecommunications or television equipment at nearby homes; Bizco 4 must do the same where interference arises from Project B onshore works and the shared works. References to “each scheme” align the obligations and confirm that the two undertakers carry separate responsibilities for their respective assets.
Decommissioning is disentangled in Requirement 31. No later than three months before cessation of commercial operation, Bizco 1 must submit a demolition and removal scheme for the Project A onshore works, together with any shared works not required for the continued commercial operation of Project B. Bizco 4 has a mirror duty for Project B, covering any shared works not required for Project A. The drafting clarifies that cessation of one project does not, by itself, trigger decommissioning duties for the other.
Taken together, the amendments move the DCO from a single combined compliance model to two self-contained compliance tracks, with shared works defined and managed explicitly. This will reduce cross-dependency in discharging requirements and provide a clearer enforcement route for the Secretary of State and the planning authority where matters relate to only one project. The structure aligns with the original DCO’s division of Works and the statutory power to make non-material changes.
For project teams, the immediate actions are procedural. Compliance matrices, consent plans and construction environmental management plans should be re-baselined to reflect the split obligations; noise modelling and operational testing regimes should be checked against the combined 35 dB limit at the named receptors; and lighting and drainage schemes should be prepared on a project-by-project basis for approval, including the required consultations with the Environment Agency and the statutory nature conservation body. For planning officers, the amendments support project-specific decision-making and enforcement without re-opening the other project.