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Planning Judicial Review meaning

/ˈplanɪŋ/ /dʒuːˈdɪʃ(ə)l/ /rɪˈvjuː/
What does Planning Judicial Review mean?
A planning judicial review is a court claim used to challenge the lawfulness of planning or environmental decisions by public bodies (for example, local planning authorities, inspectors and ministers), focussing on the decision‑making process rather than the merits. It is a descriptive label for judicial review proceedings in the planning sphere; the underlying principles and remedies are those of public law (illegality, irrationality, procedural unfairness, legitimate expectation). In England and Wales, planning judicial review claims are issued under section 31 of the Senior Courts Act 1981 and cpr Part 54, and are managed in the specialist Planning Court (a list of the Administrative Court). Strict time limits apply: many planning decisions must be challenged within six weeks (see CPR 54.5(5)). Aarhus Convention costs protection may apply to environmental claims. In Scotland, planning decisions are reviewed by judicial review in the Court of Session, alongside specific statutory reviews/appeals under planning legislation, typically subject to short (often six‑week) limits. In Northern Ireland, claims proceed in the High Court under Order 53, with separate six‑week statutory challenges under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. In Ireland, planning judicial review is brought in the High Court under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (sections 50–50A), generally...
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View the related Checklists about Planning Judicial Review

CHECKLISTS
Administrative Court judicial review: CPR Part 54 checklist on time limits, promptness and applications to extend claim forms and acknowledgements of service (England and Wales)

This Checklist sets out the principal procedural steps and considerations for parties preparing or answering a request to extend time in judicial review claims before the Administrative Court. It should be read alongside Practice Note: Judicial review time limits—extensions and urgent cases. Time limits for bringing claims and the requirement to act 'promptly' Where proceedings are started in the High Court, the claim form must be lodged promptly and, in any case, no later than three months from the date the grounds first arose, subject to the shorter periods below: challenges to planning decisions must be issued within six weeks of the date the grounds to bring the claim first arose challenges to procurement decisions under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 must be brought within 30 days of the date the grounds to bring the claim first arose...

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CHECKLISTS
Acting for the seller in land option agreements: call/put, option periods, encumbrances, exercise, pricing, tranches and split reversions, VAT and HM Land Registry (England and Wales)

Call or put option? In a call option, the purchaser holds the reins, as it may demand transfer of the asset. The seller should recognise that its intentions for the site could be curtailed by that right, and plans for the property restricted. A put option, by contrast, places control with the seller, enabling it to require the purchaser to take the property and complete the acquisition, obliging the buyer to buy. Option period For a call option, the vendor should be mindful that the land could be effectively frozen throughout the option window, potentially sterilising its use. Accordingly, the deal ought to state a clear long‑stop date to cap the period. The Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009 (PAA 2009) removed the rule against perpetuities for options, so those granted on or after 6 April 2010 do not need a specified long‑stop date in this context. Before PAA 2009, a call option lapsed if not exercised within 21 years. Where exercise depends on the buyer securing...

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CHECKLISTS
Scotland: Planning Due Diligence for Property Lawyers-Checklist for Reporting on Planning Permissions, Conditions, Implementation, Unauthorised Development, Enforcement and Immunity

This Checklist outlines the principal legal and practical issues to consider when undertaking planning due diligence in Scotland to confirm a site’s precise planning status. It includes reviewing the planning application record, deciding between a limited or comprehensive report, pinpointing which permissions have been lawfully implemented, and evaluating the scope of authorised development. It also deals with breaches of conditions or planning control, reporting on the extent and current legal standing of consents, verifying any enforcement measures, and considering whether a breach is immune from action. This sits within a wider suite of Scottish planning guidance; see: Planning for property lawyers in Scotland-collection. Importance of establishing the planning history of a site In property deals involving the creation, purchase or sale of interests in land, establishing the legality of any existing or intended uses or operational development on that land is essential. This is because planning permission is required for the ‘development’ of land as defined in section 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997...

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View the related News about Planning Judicial Review

NEWS
UK Public Law Weekly Update: Brexit Oversight Changes, Constitutional Developments, Leading JR and ECHR Cases, Equality and Human Rights, Subsidy Control and Procurement Act Guidance—8 August 2024

In this issue: Brexit highlights Post-Brexit transition guidance Constitutional and administrative law Judicial review Equality and human rights Subsidy control and State aid Public procurement Management and strategic planning Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Useful information Brexit highlights The UK Parliament has confirmed the European Scrutiny Committee has been wound up, following the House of Commons’ decision on 30 July 2024 not to re-establish it. See: LNB News 01/08/2024 97. The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has released correspondence spanning 7 November 2023 to 30 May 2024, covering scrutiny of EU papers, primary legislation (including the Illegal Migration Bill) and broader issues such as public procurement and the impacts of the UK’s EU withdrawal. See: LNB News 01/08/2024 99. Post-Brexit transition guidance Weekly roundup of HMRC import, export and...

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NEWS
UK Public Law Weekly Briefing: Brexit and assimilated law reforms, key SIs, judicial review, procurement, human rights, data, and subsidy control developments (21 November 2024)

In this issue: Brexit highlights Brexit SIs Post-Brexit transition guidance Judicial review Constitutional and administrative law Equality and human rights Information law Subsidy control and state aid Public procurement Management and strategic planning Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Brexit highlights The Cabinet Office has released an explanatory memorandum concerning the UK/EU TCA Partnership Council decision (COM(2024)297). The proposal sets out the EU’s stance in the Partnership Council on amending Annex 3 to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and UK, which covers product-specific rules of origin. See: LNB News 15/11/2024 16. The House of Commons Library has issued a briefing on assimilated law reform, outlining the Labour government’s approach following the 2024 general election. The second statutory report, published in July 2024, notes that of the 6,735 items of retained EU law (REUL)...

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NEWS
UK Public Law weekly update—18 April 2024: case law Q1 2024, Brexit SIs, Procurement Act guidance, equality/human rights, data protection and subsidy control

In this issue: Public Law case law quarterly Brexit SIs Post-Brexit transition guidance Constitutional and administrative law Equality and human rights Information law Subsidy control and State aid Public procurement Management and strategic planning Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&A Useful information Public Law case law quarterly Public Law case law quarterly—Q1 2024 The Lexis+® Public Law team’s quarterly round-up presents key decisions and commentary from the last quarter. This issue features: a Court of Appeal ruling examining how redaction aligns with the duty of candour in judicial review; a Scottish judgment on when courts may refuse to give effect to a statutory provision; and a significant procurement case clarifying the threshold of ‘sufficiently serious’. See News Analysis: Public Law case law quarterly—Q1 2024... Brexit SIs Pressure Equipment (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 SI 2024/490: Made under...

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View the related Practice Notes about Planning Judicial Review

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 and Regulatory Framework for Radioactive Waste in England and Wales: Geological Disposal (NSIPs), Non-geological Routes (TCPA), Policy, Consents, Consultation and Case Law

Scope of this Practice Note This Practice Note sets out the main types of radioactive waste and examines disposal against the EU-defined waste hierarchy. It places contemporary management of radioactive waste within the historical development of the nuclear industry from a planning standpoint. Principal policy documents are reviewed to chart the evolution of government thinking over time. Geological disposal of Higher Activity Waste (HAW) under the Planning Act 2008 (PA 2008) is compared with alternative disposal routes under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) and the Planning (Wales) Act 2015. Consultation duties, application processes and required consents are identified for both regimes. Notable planning appeals and judicial review cases are highlighted before looking at international approaches to radioactive waste. What is radioactive waste? In the UK, radioactive waste arises—and will arise—from past, current and future programmes for electricity generation from nuclear fission, the reprocessing of nuclear fuel, the development of nuclear weapons, the nuclear submarine fleet and wastes from radioactive materials used for civil...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Permitted development and prior approval under the GPDO and TCPA 1990: scope, procedures, time limits and key case law (England and Wales)

Permitted development rights Section 57(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) makes clear that planning permission is needed for any development of land. Under TCPA 1990, s 55, ‘development’ comprises: operations affecting land (see Practice Note: Operational development), and changes of use of land (see Practice Note: Material change of use) TCPA 1990, s 58(1)(a) provides that planning permission can be conferred by a ‘development order’. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order, SI 2015/596 (in England) (the English GPDO) and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, SI 1995/418 (in Wales) (the Welsh GPDO) are such development orders (together, ‘the GPDO’). The GPDO establishes permitted development rights (PD rights), amounting to a national grant of planning permission given by that development order, allowing specified operational development and defined changes of use to proceed without submitting a planning application to the local planning authority (LPA). See Practice Notes: Permitted development in...

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View the related Q&As about Planning Judicial Review

Q&As
After LPA quashes permission for neighbour notice failure: notify all neighbours or only those omitted?

Before reaching a decision on a planning application, a local planning authority (LPA) must run a consultation period to gather opinions on the proposed development. This encompasses public consultation. It is open to all members of the public, who may submit representations. To make that process work, the LPA is required to publicise the planning applications it receives. Statutory provisions Section 65 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) enables a development order to require that notice is given of any application for planning permission and to make provision for publicising such applications, and it bars an LPA from considering an application unless those requirements are met by virtue of that section. The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015, (TCP(DMP)(E)O 2015), SI 2015/595 is the current development order in England, which sets out the minimum statutory requirements governing the publicity of planning applications. The principal requirements are found in (TCP(DMP)(E)O 2015), SI 2015/595, art 15...

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