Dale Farm Travellers face eviction again – The Guardian

Posted December 20th, 2012 in appeals, local government, news, planning, repossession, travellers by tracey

“Travellers living at the side of the road near the former Dale Farm site face being evicted for a second time after Basildon council, in Essex, voted to take ‘direct action’ to remove the families who remain.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Judicial Review: proposals for reform – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 13th, 2012 in consultations, judicial review, news, planning, public procurement, time limits by sally

“The Government is seeking views on a package of measures to stem the growth in applications for judicial reviews. The measures aim to tackle the burden that this growth has placed on stretched public services whilst protecting access to justice and the rule of law. The engagement exercise seeks views on proposals in three key areas; reducing the time limits for bringing a judicial review relating to procurement or planning, bringing them into line with the appeal timetable which already applies to those cases.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 13th December 2012

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

White and another v South Derbyshire District Council [2012] EWHC 3495 (Admin); [2012] WLR (D) 374

Posted December 13th, 2012 in illegality, law reports, licensing, local government, planning, ultra vires by sally

White and another v South Derbyshire District Council [2012] EWHC 3495 (Admin); [2012] WLR (D) 374

“A public authority which had acted ultra vires could not rely on the unlawfulness of its own act in order to found a criminal prosecution.”

WLR Daily, 8th November 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Property development in a cold climate – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted December 11th, 2012 in construction industry, news, planning, rights of way by sally

“In these somewhat tricky financial times, it is unsurprising that the Government is keen to persuade property developers to do their bit to kick-start the ailing economy by dusting off chunks of their carefully land-banked acreage and getting on with long-shelved construction projects. However, many things have changed in this post-banking-apocalypse world, and it is unlikely that developers will be in a position simply to take up projects exactly where they left off a few years ago. In addition to the obvious funding difficulties they now face, developers large and small will need to be alert to changes in planning policy and local needs since they put their projects on hold. These will be particularly relevant where the developer requires an extension of time on the original planning permission or where he wishes to escape from or mitigate the burden of an obligation previously accepted in order to obtain that permission or to deal with reserved matters.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 10th December 2012

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Confusion over JR clampdown – LegalVoice

“Lawyers are baffled by some parts of the government’s outline for judicial review reform, and warn that other parts could ‘endanger compliance with EU law’, writes Elizabeth Davidson.”

Full story

LegalVoice, 29th November 2012

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Father jailed after refusing to move from his own land – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 23rd, 2012 in contempt of court, news, planning, sentencing by tracey

“A working father who refused to leave his family-owned land in the ‘millionaires’ row’ of a picturesque village while he sought permission for a £32,000 eco-house has been jailed.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judicial review ‘industry’ to be restricted, says PM – The Independent

Posted November 19th, 2012 in appeals, fees, judicial review, news, planning by sally

“The right of people to mount legal challenges to decisions taken about them by public authorities is to be restricted, David Cameron will announce today.”

Full story

The Independent, 19th November 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

End of the right to challenge planning rulings – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 19th, 2012 in appeals, delay, judicial review, news, planning by sally

“Residents’ rights to mount legal challenges to controversial development projects will be severely restricted, David Cameron will announce.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 18th November 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Environmental and Planning Law Newsletter – Thirty Nine Essex Street

Posted November 14th, 2012 in costs, environmental protection, judicial review, news, planning, tribunals by sally

Environmental and Planning Law Newsletter (PDF)

Thirty Nine Essex Street, November 2012

Source: www.39essex.com

Winfield v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government – WLR Daily

Posted November 9th, 2012 in advertising, enforcement notices, law reports, planning by tracey

Winfield v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: [2012] EWCA Civ 1415;   [2012] WLR (D)  311

“An applicant seeking deemed planning consent for ten years’ continual use of land for the display of advertisements would not satisfy the requisite conditions if, in the face of threatened enforcement action, he had removed and then reinstated advertisements. Such material breaks would negate continual use. Wooden posts or structures left on site on which the advertisements were placed did not constitute advertisements in themselves so as to satisfy the requisite time period for deemed consent.”

WLR Daily, 7th November 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Challenges to EIA screening directions could undergo judicial review – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 26th, 2012 in appeals, environmental protection, judicial review, news, planning by tracey

“The Court of Appeal could be asked to carry out a judicial review of a Secretary of State decision on a screening direction for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and to apply a lower threshold of reasonableness than ‘Wednesbury’ unreasonableness in its assessment.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 24th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

CIL: What Price Planning (or, How to Work & Work With the Tax System)? – Thirty Nine Essex Street

Posted October 23rd, 2012 in news, planning, taxation by sally

“In 1947, the Labour Government nationalized land development value. The outgoing Labour Government nationalized development hope value through its CIL Regulations which came into force in April 2010 just before its May defeat.”

Full story (PDF)

Thirty Nine Essex Street, October 2012

Source: www.39essex.com

Demolition and construction of sports pavilion does not require EIA screening opinion, says High Court judge – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 18th, 2012 in environmental health, news, planning by sally

“The demolition of an existing sports pavilion and the construction of a new one is not an urban development project and does not require a screening opinion to determine if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is needed, a High Court judge has ruled.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 17th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Government to consult on temporary stop notices to prevent unauthorised traveller sites – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 12th, 2012 in consultations, fines, local government, news, planning, travellers by sally

“Communities secretary Eric Pickles has set out the details of plans announced by him earlier this week to remove restrictions on the use of temporary stop notices, giving councils greater freedom to prevent unauthorised traveller sites being set up.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 11th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Landlord fined £1.4m for converting house to flats without planning permission – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 5th, 2012 in enforcement notices, fines, news, planning, proceeds of crime by tracey

“A Norwich Crown Court judge has imposed a £1.4 million fine on a landlord under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) for converting a house in north-west London into 12 flats without planning permission.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 4th October 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Reform of planning laws tampers dangerously with the procedural safeguards – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted October 3rd, 2012 in construction industry, housing, news, planning by sally

“A recently announced government reform of the planning laws would extend permitted development rights to house extensions of double the pre-existing limits, to 6m (19 feet) beyond the back wall of a semi-detached house, or 8m (26 feet) in the case of a detached house. The relaxation of the rules, for a fixed three year period, is designed to stimulate construction activity and economic growth. These proposals, however, which will remove the requirement for planning permission, rest on a fundamental misconception as to the role of the planning system. Planning is supposed to deliver a balanced decision based on weighing up all relevant considerations. As any local parish or district councillor knows, extension proposals are often the most contentious proposals because of neighbours’ concerns over loss of privacy, amenity and reduction of property values. Poisonous neighbourhood disputes will undoubtedly increase across the land because concerned neighbours and councillors will no longer have a say on these important local matters.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 3rd October 2012

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

High Court orders judicial review over HMR transitional fund – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 21st, 2012 in housing, judicial review, news, planning by tracey

“Campaign group Save Britain’s Heritage (SAVE) has won the right to a judicial review of the Government’s £35 million transitional fund to help councils after the closure of the Housing Market Renewal (HMR) fund.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 20th September 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Environmental and Planning Law – Uneasy Bedfellows? – Thirty Nine Essex Street

Posted September 17th, 2012 in environmental protection, news, planning by sally

“This paper sets out to provide an inevitably selective overview of the environmental law and policy developments in recent years and how, if at all, the planning system can contribute to meeting those objectives, or (if bad decisions are taken) detracting from them. This will involve two main strands of discussion, based on the commonly quoted idea that environmental law and policy range from very large matters (‘the stratosphere’) to very local concerns (‘the street corner’).”

Full story

Thirty Nine Essex Street, 15th September 2012

Source: www.39essex.com

Planning rules on extensions to be relaxed ‘to boost economy’ – BBC News

Posted September 6th, 2012 in construction industry, housing, news, planning by sally

“The government wants to get planning officers ‘off people’s backs’ with a relaxation of current rules in England.”

Full story

BBC News, 6th September 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New guidance launched to tackle ‘beds in sheds’ – Home Office

Posted September 3rd, 2012 in immigration, landlord & tenant, planning, press releases by tracey

“The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has contributed to new guidance to help local authorities deal with rogue landlords and the issue of migrants living in illegally-built outhouses known as ‘beds in sheds’.”

Full press release

Home Office, 31st August 2012

Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk