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In those circumstances, the High Court decided to stay the proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling: ‘(i) in the context of a national legal system where the legislature has not expressly and definitively stated at what stage of the process a decision is to be challenged and where this falls for judicial determination in the context of each specific application on a case-by-case basis in accordance with common law rules, whether the entitlement under art. 11(4) of [Directive 2011/92] to a “not prohibitively expensive” procedure applies to the process before a national court whereby it is determined as to whether the particular application in question has been brought at the correct stage; (ii) whether the requirement that a procedure be “not prohibitively expensive” pursuant to art. 11(4) of [Directive 2011/92] applies to all elements of a judicial procedure by which the legality (in national or EU law) of a decision, act or omission subject to the public participation provisions of the directive is challenged, or merely to the EU law elements of such a challenge (or in particular, merely to the elements of the challenge related to issues regarding the public participation provisions of the directive); (iii) whether the phrase “decisions, acts or omissions” in art. 11(1) of [Directive 2011/92] includes administrative decisions in the course of determining an application for development consent, whether or not such administrative decisions irreversibly and finally determine the legal rights of the parties; (iv) whether a national court, in order to ensure effective judicial protection in the fields covered by EU environmental law, should interpret its national law in a way which, to the fullest extent possible, is consistent with the objectives laid down in art. 9(3) of [the Aarhus Convention] (a) in a procedure challenging the validity of a development consent process involving a project of common interest that has been designated under [Regulation (EU) No 347/2013], and/or (b) in a procedure challenging the validity of a development consent process where the development affects a European site designated under Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora [(OJ 1992, L 206, p. 7)]; (v) whether, if the answer to question (iv)(a) and/or (b) is in the affirmative, the stipulation that applicants must “meet the criteria, if any, laid down in its national law” precludes the [Aarhus] Convention being regarded as directly effective, in circumstances where the applicants have not failed to meet any criteria in national law for making an application and/or are clearly entitled to make the application (a) in a procedure challenging the validity of a development consent process involving a project of common interest that has been designated under Regulation [No 347/2013], and/or (b) in a procedure challenging the validity of a development consent process where the development affects a European site designated under [Directive 92/43]; (vi) whether it is open to a Member State to provide in legislation for exceptions to the rule that environmental proceedings should not be prohibitively expensive, where no such exception is provided for in [Directive 2011/92] or [the Aarhus Convention]; and (vii) in particular, whether a requirement in national law for a causative link between the alleged unlawful act or decision and damage to the environment as a condition for the application of national legislation giving effect to art. 9(4) of [the Aarhus Convention] to ensure that environmental proceedings are not prohibitively expensive is compatible with the [Aarhus] Convention.’