Commentary on Sections Infrastructure policy statements Section 127 – Infrastructure policy statements
337.This section gives Welsh Minsters the power, by notice, to designate a document as an infrastructure policy statement, if it is a document issued by the Welsh Ministers and sets out a policy to guide decision making in relation to significant infrastructure projects. The Welsh Ministers may withdraw the designation of a document as an infrastructure policy statement by notice in writing. Subsection (4) requires the Welsh Ministers to publish and lay before Senedd Cymru each notice designating a document as an infrastructure policy statement and each notice of withdrawal of the designation of a document as an infrastructure policy statement. Subsections (5) and (6) further require the Welsh Ministers to lay any document designated as an infrastructure policy statement before the Senedd and to publish it, if they have not done so previously.
338.The significance of a document being designated under this section is that an examining authority or the Welsh Ministers (as the case may be) must decide an application for infrastructure consent by having regard to any relevant infrastructure policy statement (see section 56(1)).