2015 – Planning Law Focus

A look back on some of 2015’s biggest property law cases and legislation
Another year has passed us by and case and statute law have both continued to evolve the planning process and the property industry landscape throughout the year. We look back on some of the more significant changes that will affect all of us in the industry, moving forward into 2016…
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Kensington property owner subject to s. 215 notice after painting house in red and white

Ref. Lisle-Mainwaring & Anor v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea [2015] EWHC 2015
A property owner who painted her estimated £15m house in Kensington with red and white stripes, has become the subject of a s. 215 notice and will be forced by Hammersmith Magistrates Court to return it to plain white…
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The Property Market Monthly Fact File – January 2016

The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to help many persons with an interest in property gain an accurate view of what is happening in the UK property market as a whole.
To read the monthly fact file, click here.

Rise in government schemes helping first time buyers get on the property ladder

Recently soaring house prices have made it increasingly difficult for first time buyers to buy a property of their own, but the Government is taking action – here’s how…
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Government support for devastating floods in Cumbria and Lancs to reach over £60 million

After devastating floods hit Cumbria and Lancs earlier this month, the government has pledged over £60 million to support households and businesses that were affected.
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Court of Appeal confirms position on ‘switching’ planning permissions to avoid S. 106

R (Robert Hitchins Ltd) v Worcestershire County Council [2015] EWCA Civ 1060
The Court of Appeal has found in favour of a developer who attempted to switch between two similar planning permissions in order to avoid a £1m s. 106 liability. The result is a strong precedent for other developers with the same advantage…
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The Property Market Monthly Fact File – December 2015

The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to provide a single place where anyone with an interest in UK property can find the information they need.
To read the monthly fact file, click here.

Mortgage Market Update

Various sources are claiming that now is as good a time to buy a property as there has ever been, with interest rates low and the property market surging forward. We have compiled stats from various sources around the country to give you a complete view of the mortgage market, in case you are looking to invest…
To read the whole article, click here.

Council billed £40,000 for mother and child human rights breaches

Ref. Medway Council v M & T (By Her Children’s Guardian) [2015] EWFC B164
Following established breaches under the Human Rights Act 1998, Medway Council have been ordered to pay damages of £20,000 to mother and child respectively. Her Honour Judge Lazarus commented that there had been an ‘alarming history’ of the unlawful accommodation of the girl by the authority for a period exceeding two years.

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In case you missed it – Widow banned from her new property because it was the ‘wrong colour’ – leaving her homeless

Jayne Fawcett, aged 62, left “homeless” after being told that she must change the colour of the property that she designed with her late husband…

To read the whole article, click here.