The Royal Insitution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has backed yesterday’s landmark High Court decision which ruled in favour of the new Human Rights Act in its challenge to the Environment Secretary’s legal right to ‘call-in’ planning appeals.
The RICS said that if the ruling is upheld, key decisions would rest more on a new independent body’s interpretation of the various sets of planning guidance, and that this would place greater onus on the Government to ensure planning guidance is both clear and thought through.
RICS planning spokesman, Andrew Warner, said: “We hope the House of Lords will uphold the decision of the High Court and urge the Government to accept the ruling and establish a wholly independent entity to consider planning appeals. We recognise the decision will cause a great deal of disruption, but believe it is wholly right in principle. The RICS believes that there is an inherent conflict of interest in the Environment Secretary setting the rules of the planning system and then deciding the outcome of individual cases. But we do accept Government should have a right to intervene if it can be shown that there is a vital national interest at stake.”
EGi News 14/12/00
