The Highways (Inquiries Procedure) Rules 1994

Procedure where Secretary of State causes pre-inquiry meeting to be held

15.—(1) The Secretary of State may cause a pre-inquiry meeting (“a meeting”) to be held if it appears to him desirable and where he does so this rule applies.

(2) The Secretary of State shall serve with the relevant notice a notification of his intention to cause a meeting to be held.

(3) The promoting authority shall, not later than 3 weeks after the relevant date, publish in a local newspaper circulating in the locality in which the site or sites are situated or, if more than one, a local newspaper circulating in each such locality a notice of the Secretary of State’s intention to cause a meeting to be held.

(4) The promoting authority shall, not later than 8 weeks after the relevant date, serve on the Secretary of State and on each statutory objector an outline statement.

(5) When required by notice in writing from the Secretary of State to do so —

(a) any statutory objector, and

(b) any other person who has notified him of any intention or wish to appear at the inquiry,

shall, within 8 weeks from the date of such notice, serve upon the Secretary of State, on the promoting authority and on any other person specified in such notice, an outline statement.

(6) A meeting shall be held not later than 16 weeks after the relevant date.

(7) The Secretary of State shall give not less than 3 weeks' written notice of the date, time and location of the meeting to the promoting authority, each statutory objector and any other person whose presence at the meeting seems to him to be desirable.

(8) The inspector shall preside at the meeting and shall determine the matters to be discussed and the procedure to be followed; and he may require any person present at the meeting who, in his opinion, is behaving in a disruptive manner to leave and may refuse to permit that person to return or to attend any further meeting, or may permit him to return or attend only on such conditions as he may specify.

(9) Where a meeting has been held pursuant to paragraph (1), the inspector may hold a further meeting. He shall arrange for such notice to be given of a further meeting as appears to him necessary and paragraph (8) shall apply to such a meeting.