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Condition subsequent meaning

What does Condition subsequent mean?
In practice, a condition subsequent is a contractual or property term under which an existing right or obligation ends if a specified future event occurs. It divests an accrued right, discharges a duty, or permits termination or re‑entry on the trigger event, unlike a condition precedent, which must be satisfied before rights arise. The expression is descriptive and rooted in case law rather than defined by statute, though its use is subject to statutory controls (for example, relief from forfeiture in leases). Key features include: the event must be clearly drafted and not void for uncertainty or public policy; courts construe such clauses strictly; and breach or occurrence typically allows the innocent party to elect to terminate or enforce any right of re‑entry. Typical uses include contracts (termination on loss of regulatory approval, change of control, or insolvency), property and leases (forfeiture/re‑entry on breach of a continuing obligation), and gifts or trusts (forfeiture or gift over on a later event). Usage is broadly consistent across England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. In Scots law, the analogous concept is a resolutive condition, which brings an existing obligation or right to an end on a specified event.
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NEWS
Local government update: case law, funding and regulatory changes across housing, children's services, education, planning, highways, procurement, governance, finance, social care, health, licensing and environment - 29 January 2026

In this issue: Social housing Children's social care Education Planning Highways Public procurement Governance Local government finance Adult social care Healthcare Licensing Environmental law and climate change Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Social housing Social housing To be or not to be… the recurring question of when a homelessness application is an application at all (R (Lyrae) v Somerset Council) In R (Lyrae) v Somerset Council, the High Court endorsed the Court of Appeal’s dicta in Rikha Begum—picked up and used in Minott and Ivory—on how to treat a subsequent ‘fresh’ homelessness approach. The analysis comprises two steps. First (stage one), decide whether the later approach counts as an application at all; the only time the answer is ‘no’ is where it rests on exactly the same factual matrix as the earlier one, ignoring fanciful assertions and insignificant details. Secondly (stage two), if it...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Planning Enforcement under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990: Policy, Discretion, Notices (PCN, EWN, EN, Stop, TSN, BCN), Injunctions, Appeals, Direct Action and Compensation

Practice Note: Planning—enforcement When it appears to a local planning authority (LPA) that planning control has been breached, it may, at its discretion, take enforcement action under Part VII of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990). For these purposes, section 171A of the TCPA 1990 defines a breach of planning control as: undertaking development without the necessary planning permission, or not complying with any condition or limitation attached to a planning permission This Practice Note explains in detail how a breach of planning control is established, when development acquires immunity from enforcement, and the factors an LPA should weigh when deciding whether to proceed with formal measures. Its focus is on the range of steps available to an LPA in response to a breach of planning control. The Practice Note does not address enforcement concerning listed buildings. For that, see Practice Note: Listed buildings enforcement and criminal liability regime in England. For context on its relevance to conservation...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Planning enforcement offences and local planning authority direct action in England and Wales: defences and penalties for breach of notices, conservation area demolition, corporate liability and Proceeds of Crime confiscation

Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990), a breach of planning control is subject to enforcement action. For these purposes, a breach of planning control refers to the following: undertaking development without obtaining the necessary planning permission—this entails that unauthorised works or a material change of use amounting to development within the meaning of TCPA 1990, s 55 have taken place, and that such development requires planning permission which has not been secured not adhering to any condition or restriction attached to a grant of planning permission—this covers any of the limitations or conditions applied to individual permitted development rights in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, SI 2015/596 in England and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, SI 1995/418 in Wales See Practice Note: Planning—enforcement for further detail on planning breaches. TCPA 1990, s 171A states that ‘taking enforcement action’ also includes issuing an enforcement notice, serving a breach...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Secondary victims and psychiatric injury: practitioners' guide to the accident requirement, proximity and post-Paul limits on clinical negligence (England and Wales)

The development of the law Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police has traditionally stood as the principal authority on secondary victim claims. Subsequent jurisprudence after Alcock evolved in a piecemeal way, with decisions that were sometimes inconsistent. The Supreme Court's ruling in Paul v Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has introduced several revisions and offered much-needed certainty for practitioners. Grasping the landscape both before and after Paul matters because the underlying principles have been refined and clarified, though not every element has altered. Accordingly, this Practice Note is arranged into pre-Paul and post-Paul parts. The amendments attributable to Paul are clearly signposted within this Practice Note. For deeper commentary on the judgment, consult News Analysis: Landmark Supreme Court decision on secondary victims (Paul v Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust). It must be appreciated that claims by secondary victims form an exception to the general rule that, at common law, one individual has no legal entitlement to compensation concerning the physical integrity or condition of another. As with any exception,...

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