Handling environmental appeals through hearings or local inquiries: code of practice

Pre-examination meeting

14. The reporter may arrange a meeting to discuss and consider the manner in which the appeal, or any parts of it, will be handled (a 'pre-examination meeting'). On some occasions, where circumstances require, more than one meeting may be necessary. Where a meeting is required DPEA will set the date, time and venue for the meeting and will give the appellant, SEPA and any other parties notice of the arrangements.

15. The reporter will set the agenda for the pre-examination meeting. Amongst other things, the agenda will identify the reporter's provisional views on (a) the issues requiring no further procedure; and (b) the issues requiring further information or evidence and the reporter's proposed procedures. The reporter will consider the representations that the parties make on the selection of issues and of the proposed procedures and seek a consensus on the most effective way of handling the appeal, in particular, which issues require to be dealt with at a hearing or inquiry session. The reporter will provide written confirmation of which matters are to be dealt with by written submissions and which are to be covered at a hearing or inquiry session.

16. In more complex cases in which a hearing or inquiry session has been fixed the reporter may hold a pre-examination meeting to discuss the procedure to be followed at the hearing or inquiry session, the order in which parties will be heard, the timetable for parties to present their cases and any other issues relating to the efficient conduct of proceedings.