Article 18 Procedure after inquiry
Where an assessor has been appointed, the assessor may, after the close of the inquiry make a report in writing to the inspector in respect of the matters on which the assessor was appointed to advise and, where the assessor does so, the inspector must state in the notification of the decision pursuant to rule 19 that such a report was made.
When making their decision, the inspector may disregard any written representations or evidence or any other document received after the close of the inquiry.
If, after the close of an inquiry, an inspector proposes to take into consideration any new evidence or any new matter of fact (not being a matter of National Assembly policy) which was not raised at the inquiry and which the inspector considers to be material to the decision, the inspector must not come to a decision without first—
notifying the applicant and the local planning authority;
notifying the persons entitled to, and who did, take part in the inquiry of the matter in question; and
affording those notified pursuant to (a) and (b) an opportunity of making written representations or of asking for the re-opening of the inquiry,
and those persons must ensure that such written representations or request to re-open the inquiry are received by National Assembly within 3 weeks of the date of the notification.
An inspector may, as the inspector thinks fit, cause an inquiry to be re-opened, and must do so if asked by the appellant or the local planning authority in the circumstances and within the period mentioned in paragraph (3); and where an inquiry is re-opened—
the inspector must send to the persons entitled to, and who did, take part in the inquiry a written statement of the matters with respect to which further evidence is invited; and
paragraphs (2) to (7) of rule 10 apply as if the references to an inquiry were references to a re-opened inquiry.