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EWCA: No costs for LPA withdrawing after expert concedes at inquiry; no obligation to pre-test expert evidence in called-in planning cases (Halton BC v SSHCLG)

Published on: 04 December 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Planning expert
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Halton Borough Council v The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2025] EWCA Civ 1566

What are the practical implications of this case?

This ruling affirms that, in a called-in inquiry, a local planning authority is not acting unreasonably merely because its expert revises their position under cross-examination and the authority consequently withdraws backing for a scheme. Where an expert properly acknowledges in evidence that, applying the relevant guidance, they would now advise against permission, that change can legitimately justify the authority’s shift in stance and the application’s withdrawal. The court makes clear there is no ‘normal procedural requirement’ for an authority to stress-test or rehearse its expert beforehand to ensure their evidence will withstand cross-examination. Authorities may rely on apparently competent expert advice that meets the usual evidential threshold; they are not expected to second‑guess their own experts unless shortcomings are so obvious that the evidence is plainly wrong. For developers and objectors, the judgment underscores that costs awards in called-in cases remain tightly limited to genuinely unreasonable procedural conduct, consistent with Planning Inspectorate Guidance...

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