SEA change
There has been a spate of recent cases concerning the requirement for plan makers to consider ‘any reasonable alternatives’ as […]
Planning Policy
Daylight/ Sunlight Error Fatal To Permission
In Watt, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Hackney & Anor [2016] EWHC 1978 (Admin), the High […]
Court of Appeal Confirms Full OAN Benchmark for Sensitive Area Developments
We commented on Knight Developments saga applying for 100 homes in the Ashdown Forest last year. Although upholding the High […]
Valued Landscapes Must Be Something Special
In Forest of Dean District Council v Secretary of State for Communities And Local Government& Anor [2016] EWHC 2429 (Admin), […]
Amalgamation of units still at risk
As we have noted previously, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (“TCPA”) is clear that the conversion of a […]
Neighbourhood Plans Fudge
The Government’s solution to the so-far intractable problem of Neighbourhood Plans that do not meet housing needs is here in […]
Autumn Statement: mood music?
In the absence of the Housing White Paper, the industry is still left needing to mind the gap. We have […]
Vacant Building Credit – an own goal?
Vacant Building Credit (VBC) was re-introduced into the NPPG in May 2016 to less vocal opposition than it faced when […]
Neighbourhood Planning Unchained? The Neighbourhood Planning Bill 2016
Having lost its infrastructure component between the Queen’s Speech and publication, the slimline Neighbourhood Planning Bill had its first reading […]
High Court clarifies application of presumption in favour in heritage harm case
The High Court has provided further guidance on the application of the presumption in favour of sustainable development (paragraph 14 […]
Transport and Works Act Order upheld in heritage case
In Whitby v Secretary for Transport & Ors [2016] EWCA Civ 444 the Court of Appeal has given its reasons […]
High Court allows relaxed view of needs on appeal
The High Court has adopted a flexible approach to dealing with ‘objectively assessed needs’ (OAN) on a planning appeal in […]