Legal briefs: Surrey oil well challenge fails; Barbican area experimental traffic order not quashed

Surrey oil well challenge fails

A Planning Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge to Surrey County Council’s grant of planning permission for the drilling of four new oil wells at the Horse Hill Well Site at Hookwood, Horley.

Local Government Lawyer

Barbican area experimental traffic order not quashed

A High Court judge has allowed a legal challenge to the introduction of an experimental traffic order (ETO) in the Barbican area of the City of London, but refused to quash the ETO.

Local Government Lawyer

Donegal landslide prosecution probe begins

The Irish Republic’s Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that it is investigating a landslide in November at the site of a new wind farm under construction at Meenbog near Stranorlar in east Donegal, indicating that it could bring a prosecution after tonnes of trees, bog and vegetation were swept into the Mourne Beg and Derg rivers by the landslide. The peat slide also caused damage to the Corgary trout farm.

Irish News

Buckinghamshire land restoration injunction success

Buckinghamshire Council has secured compliance with a High Court injunction requiring the owner of land in Winslow Road, Great Horwood, to restore it to open countryside. The injunction required the removal of hard core and six buried metal septic tanks.

Local Government Lawyer

New Forest National Park tree felling injunction

The New Forest National Park Authority has obtained an interim High Court injunction preventing further unauthorised felling or other works to trees protected by a woodland Tree Preservation Order at Bartley.

Local Government Lawyer

JR lined up over Norfolk highway wrangle

The High Court has granted permission for a judicial review of Norfolk County Council’s decision to formally respond as statutory consultee, in its capacity as highways authority, to an application to South Norfolk District Council by Ben Burgess Ltd for planning permission for a new operational headquarters by the A140.

Local Government Lawyer

Oldham sees off major development challenge

A Planning Court judge has dismissed a judicial review challenge to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council’s grant of outline planning permission for the development of up to 265 dwellings and full planning permission for a new link road.

Local Government Lawyer

Developer fails to dent Cambridgeshire neighbourhood plan  

A High Court judge has rejected a housebuilder’s legal challenge to a decision by East Cambridgeshire District Council to accept the recommendations of the examiner in relation to green spaces designated in the Witchford Neighbourhood Plan.

Local Government Lawyer

Ceredigion successfully appeals enforcement ruling

Ceredigion County Council has won an appeal to the Divisional Court over a ruling that information it laid under section 179 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in respect of enforcement action was defective.

Local Government Lawyer

Appeal Court sides with Shropshire Council over Shrewsbury trust case

Shropshire Council has won a case in the Court of Appeal over what happens when a local authority disposes of land subject to a statutory trust for public recreational purposes without complying with the relevant statutory requirements. The case centred on a 15-home scheme approved by the council for land off a recreation ground in Shrewsbury.

Local Government Lawyer