The community infrastructure levy (CIL) is a charge that local authorities can impose on new developments as a means of funding local infrastructure. The sums involved can be very substantial and a High Court ruling in a guideline case will help to dispel doubts over
Homeowners are often blissfully unaware that onerous restrictions on what they can do with their properties may lurk within their title deeds. However, a case in which a couple won the right to complete a barn conversion on their land shows that, with the right
Rights to daylight really do matter to homeowners and, if you feel that yours is under threat, you should consult a solicitor right away. The point was powerfully made by a case in which the High Court heeded an objector’s concerns and overturned planning permission
Local authorities that do not have a five-year supply of available housing land can have developments that they consider undesirable foisted upon them. Exactly that happened in one case concerning controversial plans to build 29 new homes in a green gap between two established settlements.
Registering plots of land as town or village greens preserves them for community use and renders them immune from development. However, as a High Court case showed, meeting the statutory criteria for registration is demanding and should not be attempted without expert legal advice. A
The widespread belief that an Englishman’s home is his castle can all too easily lead the unwary into breaching planning rules. That was certainly so in a case concerning a householder who found herself in serious trouble after splitting her home into two self-contained residential
Obtaining planning permission can be a tricky business, replete with legal pitfalls, and taking expert advice is always wise if you want your building project to succeed. The point was soundly made by one case in which the High Court gave the green light to
Local authorities that do not have a five-year supply of housing land in place take the risk that planning permission will be granted for developments they consider undesirable. However, as a High Court case showed, even in such situations consent will not be forthcoming for
Those who manage to obtain planning permission for construction projects are sadly often tempted to build on a wider or taller scale than has actually been permitted. However, as any good lawyer will tell you – and as a High Court decision proved – taking
You are entitled to object to your neighbours’ building plans, but wise homeowners always seek professional legal advice before doing so. In one case, which a homeowner who opposed construction of an extension next door ended up being ordered to pay his neighbours more than
