An association for compulsory purchase professionals has been launched in a bid to bring greater unity to the industry.
The Compulsory Purchase Association’s chairman, Tony Johnson, a surveyor with Edwin Hill, said the group had been set up in response to the government’s consultation on changes to compulsory purchase orders (CPOs).
Johnson said: “The recent government proposals concerning compulsory purchase highlighted how fragmented the industry is amongst surveyors, planners, lawyers and others and that there is no universal body which brings those interested in the business together.”
The association was created by a working party made up of representatives from the RICS, the Law Society, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Bar Council, the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV), the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and Property Managers in Local Government (ACES) and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV).
The association’s constitution, agreed yesterday, states that its objectives are to:
- establish a multidisciplinary association of persons interested in compulsory purchase
- provide correspondence and newsletters to members by e-newsletters and e-mails
- promote lectures, seminars, and similar events on compulsory purchase topics for both members (at preferential rates) and non-members
- liase with Universities to provide assistance on compulsory purchase topics
- act as a reference point and sounding board for government, the Law Commission and others on compulsory purchase issues and proposals
- promote best practice in all aspects of compulsory purchase
- remain independent of all organisations so as to offer balanced and unprejudiced views and advice
The association will be governed by a committee which includes Johnson as chair and Richard Asher, head of the CPO team at Jones Lang LaSalle, as vice-chair.
Other members of the committee include barrister Michael Humphries as treasurer and Peter Scrafton, a solicitor at JP Scrafton, as secretary.
Members of professional bodies associated with compulsory purchase work and members of organisations that relate to compulsory purchases are invited to join for an annual fee of £50.
EGi News 22/10/02
