The threat of climate change is playing an ever more important part in the formation of planning policy. A High Court case on point concerned a householder’s fear that his neighbour’s extension plans would block light from his domestic array of solar panels. In direct
The English landscape is replete with heritage assets and it is a central objective of the planning system to ensure their preservation. However, as a High Court case showed, that aim has to be balanced against the pressing need for more new homes. The case
Property purchases are, for the majority of people, the highest value deals that they ever enter into and that is why they should never be reached in haste or without expert legal advice. The point was powerfully made a case in which an amateurish, home-made,
One good reason for taking advice from independent professionals is that, if they let you down, there is a clear route to compensation. The point was proved by a case in which a homeowner won substantial damages after a surveyor failed to notice Japanese knotweed
Environmental issues are inexorably making their way to the top of the political agenda and that is increasingly reflected in the planning system. In a case on point, the High Court overturned permission for a residential development on the basis that habitat protection rules had
Registering land as a town or village green (TVG) is an effective means of protecting it from development – but it can also effectively sterilise sites which would otherwise be suitable for much-needed new homes. The Court of Appeal tackled that issue in a ground-breaking
If others’ building proposals threaten to harm your enjoyment of your home, you should not delay in consulting a solicitor. In a case on point, a householder did just that and successfully blocked her neighbour’s plans for a roof terrace. The woman objected after her
In the interests of future flexibility, local authorities often understandably wish to keep housing land in reserve for longer-term development. However, as a High Court case showed, the pressing need for more new homes is such that delay cannot always be justified. The case concerned
Restrictions on the use and development of land frequently lurk in old and dusty title deeds, but their antiquity does not mean that they are ineffective. In a case on point, plans for a multi-million-pound care home for the elderly were effectively stymied. A developer
How is the urgent requirement for more new homes to be balanced against the need to preserve heritage assets? The High Court addressed that issue in overturning planning consent for a proposed housing development with a listed mansion at its heart. The early 19th century
