Port of Tilbury expansion DCO correction order 2026

If you’re studying planning law or infrastructure, this is a clean case study of how the UK fixes the text of a major consent. The Department for Transport made The Port of Tilbury (Expansion) (Correction) Order 2026 on 8 January 2026. It came into force on 9 January 2026 and is numbered S.I. 2026/12, as listed on The Stationery Office’s daily list for that date. (tsoshop.co.uk)

Here’s the rule in plain English. When a Development Consent Order (DCO) contains a “correctable error”, the Secretary of State can fix it. The power sits in Schedule 4 to the Planning Act 2008 and depends on a written request arriving within the set window and the Secretary of State notifying the relevant local planning authority before acting. (legislation.gov.uk)

What this does and doesn’t do matters for your notes. The original consent stays in force; the law simply treats the decision document as corrected from the date stated in the new instrument. You’re not reopening the decision-just amending the wording so it matches the intended decision. (legislation.gov.uk)

So what changed at Tilbury? The Order tidies definitions by clarifying the term “Police Constable”, removing an outdated definition of “a Constable”, and adding a specific definition tied to section 154 of the 1968 Act. It also fixes a labelling slip so an “existing structure” refers to a water outfall rather than a water intake. These are accuracy fixes to avoid confusion on site.

There are operational clarifications too. Article 4 now points to section 5A(1) on the Company’s duties, and “Company” is capitalised consistently. Importantly, the drafting now makes clear that works include not only stopping up existing routes but also providing new highways and private access-helpful for how contractors and the highway authority programme permanent changes.

Two more drafting tweaks round things off. Article 41 adds the word “significant” to set a clearer threshold for variations in maintenance and operation; and Schedule 2’s requirement 11 now reads “constructed and/or operated”, with one sub‑paragraph removed to prevent duplication. The heading to Schedule 4 is also updated to mirror the access changes. These are precision edits, not policy shifts.

Process check-useful for exams. The department received a written request within the statutory period, told the local planning authority, signed the instrument on behalf of the Secretary of State, and set commencement for 9 January 2026. That sequence follows Schedule 4’s steps and the effect-of-correction rule. (legislation.gov.uk)

If you want other examples, look at two recent corrections: the West Burton Solar Project (Correction) Order 2025 and the A122 Lower Thames Crossing correction order made in 2025. Both show how small edits keep complex consents aligned without re‑litigating the whole project. (legislation.gov.uk)

Context helps. The original Tilbury2 consent is S.I. 2019/359. Later national projects even refer back to Tilbury2 in their protective provisions-one reason careful drafting matters across schemes, not just within a single Order. (legislation.gov.uk)

What it means for your revision: write down the exact dates, the instrument number, and the headline fixes-cleaner definitions, corrected cross‑references, clearer access wording, and a tightened maintenance threshold. Small changes, big clarity for port police, contractors and council officers putting the consent into practice. (tsoshop.co.uk)