{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-inquiries-procedure-wales-rules-2003/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-inquiries-procedure-wales-rules-2003/note.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2003/1266",
  "legislation_title": "The Town and Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) (Wales) Rules 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-inquiries-procedure-wales-rules-2003",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Rules)\nThese Rules regulate the procedure to be followed in connection with local inquiries in Wales held by the National Assembly for Wales (“the National Assembly”) before it determines applications referred to it, or appeals made to it, on or after 1st June 2003 in relation to planning permission, listed building consent, consent for the demolition of unlisted buildings in conservation areas (“conservation area consent”), tree preservation order consents or tree preservation enforcement notices.\nThese Rules replace, in relation to Wales, the Town and Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1992 (“the 1992 Rules”), subject to the exceptions and transitional provisions contained in rule 23 of these Rules. The 1992 Rules were similarly revoked and replaced in relation to England by the Town and Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) (England) Rules 2000 (S.I. 2000/1624).\nThe principal changes made by these Rules are that they are extended to cover appeals in relation to tree preservation order consents and against the service of tree preservation enforcement notices and:\nRule 4(4) requires local planning authorities to return their completed questionnaires to the National Assembly within 2 weeks of the starting date.\nRule 5 requires that pre-inquiry meetings are to be held for all inquiries which the National Assembly expects to last more than 8 days, unless it considers it unnecessary.\nRule 6 requires the applicant and the local planning authority to ensure that 2 copies of their statements of case have been received by the National Assembly within 6 weeks of the starting date. It provides for the documents to be copied by the National Assembly to the parties and to be sent to the inspector.\nRule 8 provides that the inspector will arrange a timetable, in respect of inquiries where a pre-inquiry meeting is held or which the National Assembly expects to last 8 days or more, and may vary the timetable.\nRule 13(4) provides for the statements of evidence to be sent by the National Assembly to the inspector.\nRule 14 requires the applicant and the local planning authority to prepare a statement of common ground and send it to the National Assembly and any statutory party 4 weeks before the inquiry.\nRule 15(2) provides that at the start of the inquiry the inspector will state what the inspector considers to be the main issues to be considered at the inquiry.\nRule 15(14) requires that in respect of any inquiry that the National Assembly expects to last 8 days or more, any parties who take part must provide a copy of their final submissions in writing.\nRule 17(4) enables the National Assembly to disregard any representations or evidence received after the close of the inquiry.\nRule 21 enables the National Assembly to request additional copies of documents.\nRule 22 authorises documents to be sent by post or by means of electronic communication.\nThere are also other minor and drafting amendments.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1266/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T06:24:15.667569+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}