217B.— (1) The Board may, at its absolute discretion and at any time before making a decision on a scheme or proposed road development referred to in section 215—

(a) request further submissions or observations from any person who made submissions or observations in relation to the scheme or proposed road development, or any other person who may, in the opinion of the Board, have information which is relevant to its decision on the scheme or proposed road development, or

(b) hold meetings with the road authority or any other person where it appears to the Board to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of—

(i) making a decision on the scheme or proposed road development, or

(ii) resolving any issue with the road authority or any disagreement between the authority and any other person, including resolving any issue or disagreement in advance of an oral hearing.

(2) Where the Board holds a meeting in accordance with subsection (1)(b), it shall keep a written record of the meeting and make that record available for inspection.

(3) The Board, or an employee of the Board duly authorised by the Board, may appoint any person to hold a meeting referred to in subsection (1)(b).

(4) The Board may—

(a) if it considers it necessary to do so, require a road authority that has submitted a scheme under section 49 of the Roads Act 1993 or made an application for approval under section 51 of that Act to furnish to the Board such further information in relation to—

(i) the effects on the environment of the proposed scheme or road development, or

(ii) the consequences for proper planning and sustainable development in the area or areas in which it is proposed to situate the said scheme or road development of such scheme or road development,

as the Board may specify, or

(b) if it is provisionally of the view that it would be appropriate to approve the scheme or proposed road development were certain alterations (specified in the notification referred to in this paragraph) to be made to the terms of it, notify the road authority that it is of that view and invite the authority to make to the terms of the scheme or proposed road development alterations specified in the notification and, if the authority makes those alterations, to furnish to it such information (if any) as it may specify in relation to the scheme or road development, in the terms as so altered, or, where necessary, a F1115[revised environmental impact assessment report] in respect of it.

(5) If a road authority makes the alterations to the terms of the scheme or proposed road development specified in a notification given to it under subsection (4), the terms of the scheme or road development as so altered shall be deemed to be the scheme or proposed road development for the purposes of sections 49, 50 and 51 of the Roads Act 1993.

(6) The Board shall—

(a) where it considers that any further information received pursuant to a requirement made under subsection (4)(a) contains significant additional data relating to—

(i) the likely effects on the environment of the scheme or proposed road development, and

(ii) the likely consequences for proper planning and sustainable development in the area or areas in which it is proposed to situate the said scheme or road development of such scheme or road development,

or

(b) where the road authority has made the alterations to the terms of the proposed development specified in a notification given to it under subsection (4)(b),

require the authority to do the things referred to in subsection (7).

(7) The things which a road authority shall be required to do as aforesaid are—

(a) to publish in one or more newspapers circulating in the area or areas in which the development to which the scheme relates or, as the case may be, the proposed road development would be situate a notice stating that, as appropriate—

(i) further information in relation to the scheme or proposed road development has been furnished to the Board, or

(ii) the road authority has, pursuant to an invitation of the Board, made alterations to the terms of the scheme or proposed road development (and the nature of those alterations shall be indicated) and, if it be the case, that information in relation to the terms of the scheme or road development as so altered or a F1116[revised environmental impact assessment report] in respect of the scheme or development has been furnished to the Board,

indicating the times at which, the period (which shall not be less than 3 weeks) during which and the place, or places, where a copy of the F1117[information or the environmental impact assessment report] referred to in subparagraph (i) or (ii) may be inspected free of charge or purchased on payment of a specified fee (which fee shall not exceed the reasonable cost of making such copy) and that submissions or observations F1118[in relation to that information, report or statement] may be made to the Board before the expiration of the indicated period, and

(b) to send to each body or prescribed authority to which a notice was given pursuant to section 51(3)(b) or (c) of the Roads Act 1993—

(i) a notice of the furnishing to the Board of, as appropriate, the further information referred to in paragraph (a)(i) or the F1119[information, report or statement] referred to in paragraph (a)(ii), and

(ii) a copy of that further information, F1120[information, report or statement],

and to indicate to the body or authority that submissions or observations F1121[in relation to that further information, information, report or statement] may be made to the Board before the expiration of a period (which shall be not less than 3 weeks) beginning on the day on which the notice is sent to the prescribed authority by the road authority.

(8) The Board shall, in making its decision in respect of a scheme or proposed road development, have regard to any information submitted on foot of a notice under subsection (4), including any F1122[revised environmental impact assessment report] or any submissions or observations made on foot of a request under subsection (1) or a notice under subsection (7).]