Legal briefs: Landmark peat extraction case under way; Pembrokeshire Council rapped over enforcement case prosecution

Landmark peat extraction case under way

A landmark High Court challenge against the Irish state over new regulations that allow for the industrial extraction of peat from bogs without the need for planning permission has opened in the High Court.

Irish Times

Pembrokeshire Council rapped over enforcement case prosecution

Swansea Crown Court has ruled that Pembrokeshire County Council’s prosecution of a resident over an enforcement action where the man claimed his shed was not a building because he had added wheels was an abuse of process.

Local Government Lawyer

Investigator clears Wokingham Council over Twyford enforcement saga

An independent investigator has cleared officers and councillors at Wokingham Borough Council of maladministration or unprofessional conduct in a planning enforcement case involving a garden centre near Twyford, which was the subject of protracted legal proceedings.

Local Government Lawyer

Powys ex-planning chair cleared of breaking code of conduct rules

A Powys councillor and former planning chair who faced complaints about the legality of caravan pitches on his land has been cleared of breaking the members’ code of conduct by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales.

BBC News

Aberdeen architect remains struck off

Aberdeen architect Neil Rothie, who was struck off by the Architects Registration Board last year, has failed to overturn the decision at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Scottish Construction Now