Civil Law

NGO successfully challenges planning inspectors’ report on energy performance standards

The recent decision (20 February 2024) of the High Court in R (Rights Community Action) v Secretary of State is a rare example of an NGO succeeding in a climate change legal action under English law.  In the case, Rights Community Action persuaded the High Court to overturn a finding by the Secretary of State’s Planning Inspectors that a local authority’s “net zero” policy was unlawful.

The claim arose in relation to a proposed new “garden village” development in Oxfordshire.  … Read the rest

Civil Law

Our top 6 Planning Law takeaways for 2022 – Part 5: Retained EU Law Repeal Bill

In the fifth of our blogs on recent developments in planning law , we turn our attention to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 introduced by Jacob Rees-Mogg at the height of the Truss premiership in September 2022. 

Described by Professor Michael Zander KC as “one of the worst pieces of legislation I can remember in some 60 years of following the law-making process“, the Bill seeks to deliver on the Brexit promise of taking … Read the rest