**This page was updated on 17 November 2020 to reflect latest developments**
This page contains rolling updates of the latest developments and documentation concerning our claim for Judicial Review of the government’s reforms to permitted development.
Background
The government declared its new rules on permitted development to be one of the most radical shake-ups of planning law since World War II. The changes will allow your next door neighbour to add two storeys to their house without permission and will allow developers to replace commercial sites with slum housing.
Our claim for Judicial Review
On 27 August 2020 Rights : Community : Action issued a claim for Judicial Review of the new rules before they are due to take effect in the following week.
The rules were laid before Parliament on the last day of the parliamentary term, and they were due to come into effect the day before Parliament returns so there has been no proper scrutiny of them by our elected body. But nor have they been subject to the proper processes of assessment and public consultation that should accompany such radical legislation.
On 2 September 2020 Justice Holgate directed that our claim for Judicial Review would be heard in early October 2020. We had a court date of 14 October 2020.
The verdict
On 17 November 2020 Justice Holgate’s judgment was handed down. Rights: Community : Action lost the case. We intend to appeal.
RCA instructed Leigh Day and Paul Brown QC and Alex Shattock of Landmark Chambers.
More information
- Our ‘pre-action’ letter (21 August 2020)
- Our detailed Statement of Facts and Grounds for the case (26 August 2020)
- Justice Holgate’s direction that the Judicial Review shall be heard between 8-15 October 2020 (2 September 2020)
- Our skeleton argument to underpin the claim for Judicial Review (30 September 2020)
- Lord Justice Lewis & Mr Justice Holgate’s judgment (17 November 2020)
- Press release from our solicitors, Leigh Day (17 November 2020).