# The North Falls Offshore Wind Farm Order 2026, Paragraph 1 (1) In this licence— “the 2004 Act” means the Energy Act 2004; “the 2008 Act” means the Planning Act 2008; “the 2009 Act” means the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009; “the 2017 Regulations” means the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 2017; “aids to navigation management plan” means the aids to navigation management plan to be submitted to the MMO under condition 21 of this licence; “authorised deposits” means the substances and articles specified in paragraph 4 of this licence; “authorised development” means Work No. 1 described in paragraph 3 of this licence or any stage of that work; “buoy” means any floating device used for navigational purposes or measurement purposes, including LIDAR buoys, wave buoys and guard buoys; “cable circuits” means a number of electrical conductors necessary to transmit electricity between two points, comprising one or more conductors which may be bundled as one cable or take the form of separate cables, and in either case the circuit may include one or more auxiliary cables for the purpose of control, monitoring, protection or general communication; “cable crossings” means a crossing of existing cables, pipelines or other existing infrastructure by cable circuits authorised by this Order together with cable protection; “cable protection” means physical measures for the protection of cables including but not limited to concrete mattresses, split pipe system, and/or rock placement (including material used for cable crossings); “cable protection replenishment” means the restoration to a former level or condition of cable protection lost by natural seabed processes or human activity; “Chart Datum” means the level below which the tide will not normally fall at a given location, usually the lowest astronomical tide; “chemical” means a chemical element and will include both substances and preparations; “commence” means the first carrying out of any licensed marine activities authorised by this marine licence, save for any operations consisting of pre-construction surveys and monitoring approved under this marine licence and the activities set out in paragraph 2(d), and “commenced” and “commencement” must be construed accordingly; “commissioning” means the process of assuring that all systems and components of the authorised development are tested to verify that they function and are operable in accordance with the specifications and operational requirements of the undertaker; “condition” means a condition in Part 2 of this licence; “Defence Infrastructure Organisation Safeguarding” means Ministry of Defence Safeguarding, Defence Infrastructure Organisation – Safeguarding, St George’s House, DIO Head Office, DMS Whittington, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9PY and any successor body to its functions; “Defra” means the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; “draft marine mammal mitigation protocol” means the document certified as the draft marine mammal mitigation protocol by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “dropped object procedure form” means the MMO notification proforma with reference MLDIR1 for reporting the loss or dumping of synthetic materials and other refuse at sea or any other format advised in writing by the MMO; “enforcement officer” means a person authorised to carry out enforcement duties under Chapter 3 Part 4 (marine licensing) of the 2009 Act; “environmental statement” means the document certified as the environmental statement by the Secretary of State for the purposes of the Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “habitats of principal importance” means a habitat designated as being of principal importance in accordance with section 41 (biodiversity lists and action (England)) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006; “IHO S44ed6 Order 1a” means order 1a from the sixth edition of the International Hydrographic Organisation’s Standards for Hydrographic Surveys as updated or amended from time to time; “jacket foundation” means a lattice type structure constructed of steel, and additional equipment such as J-tubes, corrosion protection systems and access platforms attached to the seabed at 3 or more points with pin piles or suction buckets; “JNCC” means the Joint Nature Conservation Committee; “JNCC guidance” means the JNCC Guidance for assessing the significance of noise disturbance against Conservation Objectives of harbour porpoise SACs Joint Nature Conservation Committee Report No.654, May 2020 published in June 2020 as amended, updated or superseded from time to time; “Kingfisher bulletin” means the bulletin published by the Humber Seafood Institute or such other alternative publication approved in writing by the MMO for the purposes of this licence; “Kingfisher Information Service” means the information service from non-departmental government body Seafish; “licensed activities” means the activities specified in Part 1 of this licence; “maintain” includes inspect, upkeep, repair, adjust, and alter and further includes remove, reconstruct and replace (including replenishment of cable protection) to the extent assessed in the environmental statement, and “maintenance” must be construed accordingly; “Marine Management Organisation” or “MMO” means the Marine Management Organisation, Marine Licensing Team, Tyneside House, Skinnerburn Road, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7AR which is the body created under the 2009 Act and which is responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of this licence; “marine noise registry” means the database developed and maintained by JNCC on behalf of Defra to record the spatial and temporal distribution of impulsive noise generating activities in UK seas; “MCA” means the Maritime and Coastguard Agency; “MGN654” means “Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREIs) – Guidance on UK Navigational Practice, Safety and Emergency Response Issues” and its annexes, as may be updated or amended from time to time; “MHWS” or “mean high water springs” means the average throughout the year, of two successive high waters, during a 24-hour period in each month when the range of the tide is at its greatest (Spring tides); “monopile foundation” means a steel pile, driven and/or drilled into the seabed and associated equipment including J-tubes, corrosion protection systems and access platforms and equipment; “offshore converter platform” means a structure, authorised by the deemed marine licence in Schedule 10 to the Order, above MHWS and attached to the seabed by means of a foundation, with equipment to convert three-phase HVAC power generated by the wind turbine generations into HVDC power; “the offshore Order limits and boundary co-ordinates plan” means the plan certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of the Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “offshore platform” means the offshore substation platform(s) and/or the offshore converter platform; “Offshore Renewables Protocol for Reporting Archaeological Discoveries” means the Offshore Renewables Protocol for Reporting Archaeological Discoveries, the Crown Estate (2014), Protocol for Archaeological Discoveries: Offshore Renewables Projects, Salisbury, Wessex Archaeology as amended, updated or superseded from time to time; “offshore substation platform” means a structure, authorised by the deemed marine licence in Schedule 9 to the Order, above MHWS and attached to the seabed by means of a foundation, with one or more decks, whether open or fully clad, accommodating electrical power transformers, switchgear, instrumentation, protection and control systems, and other associated equipment and facilities to enable the transmission of electronic communications and for electricity to be collected at, and exported from, the platform; “operation” means the undertaking of the licensed activities which are not part of the construction, commissioning or decommissioning of the authorised development; “Order” means the North Falls Offshore Wind Farm Order 2026; “the Order limits” means the limits shown on the works plans (offshore) within which the authorised development may be carried out, the grid coordinates for the area of which seaward of MHWS are set out in paragraph 5 of Part 1 of this licence; “outline fisheries liaison and co-existence plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline offshore in-principle monitoring plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline offshore operations and maintenance plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline offshore written scheme of investigation” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline project environmental management plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline sediment disposal management plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline site integrity plan for the southern north sea special area of conservation” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.); “outline vessel traffic monitoring plan” means the document certified as such by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc); “pathway to the marine environment” means open systems or closed systems that require top up; “pin piles” means steel cylindrical piles driven and/or drilled into the seabed to secure jacket foundations; “preparation” means a mixture or solution composed of two or more substances; “scour protection” means measures to prevent loss of seabed sediment around any structure placed in or on the seabed by use of protective aprons, mattresses, or rock and gravel placement; “SNCB” means the statutory nature conservation body, being the appropriate nature conservation body as defined in Regulation 5 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 or its equivalent in the 2017 Regulations; “SNS SAC” means the site designated as the Southern North Sea Special Area of Conservation; “statutory historic body” means Historic England or its successor in function; “substance” means a chemical element and its compounds in the natural state or obtained by any manufacturing process, including any additive necessary to preserve its stability and any impurity deriving from the process used, but excluding any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or changing its composition; “transition piece” means the metal structure attached to the top of the foundation where the base of the wind turbine generator is connected and may include additional equipment such as J-tubes, corrosion protection systems, boat access systems, access platforms, craneage, electrical transmission equipment and associated equipment; “Trinity House” means the Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond; “UK Hydrographic Office” means the UK Hydrographic Office of Admiralty Way, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2DN; “UK Standard Marking Schedule for Offshore Installations” means the Standard Marking Schedule for Offshore Installations published by the Department of Energy & Climate Change with reference DECC 04/11. “undertaker” means, subject to article 5 (benefit of the Order), North Falls Offshore Wind Farm Limited (company number 12435947); “vessel” means every description of vessel, however propelled or moved, and includes a non‑displacement craft, a personal watercraft, a seaplane on the surface of the water, a hydrofoil vessel, a hovercraft or any other amphibious vehicle and any other thing constructed or adapted for movement through, in, on or over water and which is at the time in, on or over water; “wind turbine generator” means a structure comprising a tower, rotor with three blades connected at the hub, nacelle and ancillary electrical and other equipment which may include J-tube(s) (or equivalent structures), transition piece, access and rest platforms, access ladders, boat access systems, corrosion protection systems, fenders and maintenance equipment, and helicopter landing facilities and other associated equipment, fixed to a foundation or transition piece; “Work No. 1” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of this licence and includes the further associated development listed; “Work No. 2” has the same meaning as in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Order; “working day” means a day which is not a weekend, bank holiday or public holiday in England; and “works plans (offshore)” means the plan or plans certified as the works plans (offshore) by the Secretary of State for the purposes of the Order under article 40 (certification of plans and documents, etc.). (2) A reference to any statute, order, regulation or similar instrument is construed as a reference to a statute, order, regulation or instrument as amended by any subsequent statute, order, regulation or instrument or as contained in any subsequent re-enactment. (3) Unless otherwise indicated— (a) all times are taken to be Greenwich Mean Time; (b) all co-ordinates are taken to be latitude and longitude degrees and minutes to two decimal places. (4) Except where otherwise notified in writing by the relevant organisation, the primary point of contact with the organisations listed below and the address for returns and correspondence are— (a) Civil Aviation Authority Aviation House Beehive Ring Road Crawley West Sussex RH6 0YR; (b) Historic England East of England Regional Office Brooklands 24 Brooklands Avenue Cambridge CB2 8BU; (c) Marine Management Organisation Marine Licensing Team, Tyneside House Skinnerburn Road Newcastle Business Park Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7AR Tel: 0300 123 1032; (d) Marine Management Organisation (Local Office) Pakefield Road Lowestoft NR33 0HT Tel: 0208 026 0654; (e) Maritime and Coastguard Agency UK Technical Services Navigation Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG Email: navigationsafety@mcga.gov.uk; (f) Ministry of Defence (as represented by Defence Infrastructure Organisation – Safeguarding) St George’s House DIO Head Office DMS Whittington Lichfield Staffordshire WS14 9PY; (g) Natural England Teville Gate House 25 Railway Approach Worthing BN11 1UR Tel: 0300 060 4911; (h) Trinity House Tower Hill London EC3N 4DH Tel: 020 7481 6900; (i) The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office Admiralty Way Taunton Somerset TA1 2DN Tel: 01823 337 900. (5) Unless otherwise advised in writing by the MMO, the address for electronic communication with the MMO for the purposes of this licence is marine.consents@marinemanagement.org.uk, or where contact to the Local Office if the MMO is required, harwich@marinemanagement.org.uk. (6) Unless otherwise advised in writing by the MMO, the Marine Case Management System (“MCMS”) must be used for all licence returns or applications to vary this licence. The MCMS address is: https://marinelicensing.marinemanagement.org.uk/. --- Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/567/schedule/8/paragraph/1 (the official version) Page: https://openlegislation.uk/north-falls-offshore-wind-farm-order-2026/schedule-8/paragraph-1 Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.