# The Town and Country Planning (Crown Development Applications) (Hearings and Inquiries) Rules 2025, Rule 2: Interpretation


(1) In these Rules—
“the 1990 Act” means the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;
“the 2025 Order” means the Town and Country Planning (Crown Development Applications) (Procedure and Written Representations) Order 2025;
“applicable representation period” has the meaning given in the 2025 Order;
“appointed representative” means a person appointed under section 321(5) or (6) of the 1990 Act;
“assessor” means a person appointed by the Secretary of State to sit with an inspector at an inquiry or re-opened inquiry to advise the inspector on such matters arising as the Secretary of State may specify;
“closed evidence” means evidence which is subject to a security direction;
“Crown development application” means an application made under section 293D of the 1990 Act;
“document” includes a photograph, map or plan;
“electronic communication” has the meaning given in section 15(1) of the Electronic Communications Act 2000;
“inspector” means—
(a) in relation to a standard application, a person appointed by the Secretary of State under section 293I of the 1990 Act to determine the relevant application;
(b) in relation to a recovered application, a person appointed by the Secretary of State to assist him in the consideration of written representations or the holding of a hearing or inquiry;
“land” means the land or building to which the relevant application relates;
“last representation period” has the meaning given in the 2025 Order;
“persons entitled to appear at the hearing” means the persons listed in rule 7(2);
“persons entitled to appear at the inquiry” means the persons listed in rule 19(1);
“recovered application” means a Crown development application which falls to be determined by the Secretary of State as a consequence of a direction given under section 293J(1) of the 1990 Act;
“relevant local planning authority” has the meaning given in the 2025 Order;
“re-opened inquiry” means an inquiry which, having been closed, is re-opened to consider any new evidence or any new matter of fact, or following the quashing of the decision following the original inquiry;
“security direction” means a direction given by the Secretary of State under section 321(3) of the 1990 Act;
“standard application” means a Crown development application which falls to be determined by a person appointed by the Secretary of State under section 293I of the 1990 Act;
“starting date” means the date of the notice given by the Secretary of State under rule 13(1);
“statement of case” has the meaning given in rule 13(3);
“statutory party” means a person specified in article 9(1) of the 2025 Order to whom a notice must be sent by the applicant;
“working day” means a day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 is a bank holiday in England.
(2) Any reference in these Rules to a Crown development application, a standard application or a recovered application also includes a reference to any connected listed building application (within the meaning of the 2025 Order).

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/410/rule/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-crown-development-applications-hearings-and-inquiries-rules-2025/rule-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.