Article 20 Site inspections

The inspector may make an unaccompanied inspection of the land before or during an inquiry without giving notice of his intention to the persons entitled to appear at the inquiry.

During an inquiry or after its close, the inspector may inspect the land in the company of the applicant, any qualifying planning authority, and, subject to paragraph (3), any qualifying objector who has returned a registration form in accordance with rule 6(4)(a).

Where the inspector inspects the land after the close of an inquiry, a qualifying objector shall only be entitled to accompany him on that inspection if that objector appeared at the inquiry.

In all cases where the inspector intends to make an accompanied site inspection he shall announce during the inquiry the date and time at which he proposes to make it.

The inspector shall not be bound to defer an inspection of the kind referred to in paragraph (2) where any person mentioned in that paragraph is not present at the time appointed.