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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions >> Green v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government & Ors [2010] EWCA Civ 64 (10 February 2010) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2010/64.html Cite as: [2010] NPC 16, [2010] JPL 1022, [2010] EWCA Civ 64 |
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ON APPEAL FROM QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
THE ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
MR. TIMOTHY CORNER QC
(Sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court)
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
LADY JUSTICE ARDEN
and
LADY JUSTICE SMITH
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Roger Michael Green |
Appellant |
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- and - |
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(1) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government & |
Respondents |
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(2) Canterbury City Council |
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(3) Bridget Jones |
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(4) Joseph Jones |
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(5) Angie Jones |
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(6) Shane Jones |
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Mr D Forsdick (instructed by Treasury Solicitor ) for the First Respondent
Mr S Cottle instructed by Community Law Partnership for the Third and Fifth Respondents
Hearing dates : 7 December 2009
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Crown Copyright ©
Lord Justice Pill :
(i) Did the judge err in finding, without giving reasons, that the Secretary of State could lawfully grant on appeal planning permission for development that is substantially different from that applied for or consulted upon?
(ii) Did the judge err in finding that the Secretary of State's reasons for granting planning permission for eight caravans, as defined in the Caravan Sites & Control of Development Act 1960 ("the 1960 Act") and the Caravans Sites Act 1968 ("the 1968 Act"), together with a timber shed and all ancillary development on the appeal site, but refusing to grant permission for the retention of the continued use of the existing structures on the site, could not be impugned?
(iii) Did the judge err in awarding costs against the appellant in favour of the third and fifth respondents?
"In this Part of this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -
"caravan" means any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) . . . "
"(1) A structure designed or adapted for human habitation which -
(a) is composed of not more than two sections separately constructed and designed to be assembled on a site by means of bolts, clamps or other devices; and
(b) is, when assembled, physically capable of being moved by road from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer),
shall not be treated as not being (or as not having been) a caravan within the meaning of Part I of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 by reason only that it cannot lawfully be so moved on a highway when assembled.
(2) For the purposes of Part I of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, the expression "caravan" shall not include a structure designed or adapted for human habitation which falls within paragraphs (a) and (b) of the foregoing subsection if its dimensions when assembled exceed any of the following limits, namely -
(a) length (exclusive of any drawbar): 65.616 feet (20 metres);
(b) width: 22.309 feet (6.8 metres);
(c) overall height of living accommodation (measured internally from the floor at the lowest level to the ceiling at the highest level): 10.006 feet (3.05 metres)."
Issue (i)
"I conclude on the section 78 appeal that the proposed development would preserve the character and appearance of the rural area, it would not harm residential amenity, it would not harm the setting the Conservation Area or views into and out of it, that it could be satisfactorily screened, and that it is in a sustainable location as a gypsy site. All the relevant Development Plan policies are satisfied."
Condition 2 limits use of the appeal site to "persons of nomadic habit of life".
"47. The use of the land is clearly only appropriate for gypsies or travellers who fall within the definition in the Circular, and I shall impose a condition to restrict the use of the land in that regard. It is necessary to prevent unacceptable encroachment on the countryside and therefore I shall limit the area to be used for residential purposes and the use of the access road. It is also necessary to limit the number of pitches and statutorily defined caravans to protect the rural area.
48. It is also reasonable and necessary to control commercial or industrial activities on the site to protect the character of the area. As there is a need for enhancement of the landscaping and for clarification of the proposed layout, a condition to deal with this is also necessary, with a timetable to ensure that it is complied with, failing which the use will cease. I have also attached a condition for replacement planting and to ensure that the structure on Plot 3 is removed."
"I allow the section 78 appeal, and grant planning permission for the siting of 3 x 40ft x 20ft caravans for all year round dwelling at [the appeal site] in accordance with the terms of the application dated 6 June 2001, and the plans submitted with it, subject to the following conditions.
1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision.
2) This permission does not authorise the use of the land as a caravan site by any persons other than Gypsies and Travellers, as defined by paragraph 15 of ODPM Circular 01/2006.
3) Only that part of the land shown hatched black on the plan annexed to this decision shall be used for residential purposes, and that part of the land shown cross-hatched black on the plan shall only be used for an access road and shall not otherwise be used for the purposes hereby permitted including any purposes ancillary thereto.
4) At no time shall the residentially occupied part of the land be subdivided into more than 3 separate pitches.
5) No more than 2 caravans including no more than 1 static caravan shall be stationed on Plot 1; no more than 3 caravans including no more than 2 static caravans shall be stationed on Plot 2; and no more than 3 caravans including no more than 1 static caravan shall be stationed on Plot 3. All of the caravans shall be as defined in Part 1 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and section 13 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 as amended by Statutory Instrument 2006 No.2374: The Caravans Sites Act 1968 and Social Landlords (Permissible Additional Purposes) (England) Order 2006 (Definition of Caravan) (Amendments) (England) Order 2006.
6) No commercial or industrial activities shall take place on the land, including the storage of materials, and no vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes shall be kept on the land."
"The use hereby permitted shall cease and all caravans, structures and materials brought on to the land for the purposes of such use shall be removed within 28 days of the date of failure to meet any of the requirements set out in (i) to (iv) below."
"(i) within 3 months of the date of this decision:
(a) a scheme for the layout of the site including the extent of each of the 3 pitches, the position on each pitch of the caravan bases for static caravans and the position of the touring caravans; associated parking and other hard-surfaced areas; and a scheme for the landscaping of the site which shall include details of plant species, plant sizes and proposed numbers and densities, fencing, gates, external lighting and surface treatment including the access drive."
On the plan annexed to the permission the 3 'plots' or 'pitches' are described as 'units'.
"Nevertheless, as a general guide, it is possible to specify that an average family pitch must be capable of accommodating an amenity building, a large trailer and touring caravan, (or two trailers, drying space for clothes, a lockable shed (for bicycles, wheelchair storage etc), parking space for two vehicles and a small garden area."
"One mobile home and one tourer (often used for sleeping in throughout the year where there is inadequate space in the mobile home) is the normal minimum for a single gypsy family."
"Reading the condition as a whole I do not find any insuperable difficulty in arriving at a reasonable and clear idea of the content of the condition."
"For I am of opinion that a planning condition is only void for uncertainty if it can be given no meaning or no sensible or ascertainable meaning, and not merely because it is ambiguous or leads to absurd results. It is the daily task of the courts to resolve ambiguities of language and to choose between them; and to construe words so as to avoid absurdities or to put up with them. And this applies to conditions in planning permissions as well as to other documents."
Following a very detailed analysis of the condition in its statutory context, Lord Jenkins reached the same conclusion.
"Such condition is not designed to and does not have the effect of expanding or enlarging the planning permission granted. Rather it is designed and has the effect of regulating and controlling it."
Davis J added, at paragraph 29:
"That, to my way of thinking, makes excellent sense. It seems to me to be that which was intended and it seems to me to be adequately covered by the wording of the condition used."
Issue (ii)
"53. There seems to me to be a significant difference on this issue compared with the section 78 appeal. That is that the development on the site is substantially more than is acceptable under the section 78 appeal, with one of the structures being marginally outside the definition of a caravan, with other structures being wholly outside the definition of a caravan and almost certainly not able to be moved, and other items seemingly randomly scattered on the land.
54. The site is unattractively developed, and is harmful in the countryside due to its out-of-keeping and insensitive intrusion. It has a damaging impact on the countryside, and is not covered by the very specific guidance in the Circular, which relates to gypsy and traveller caravans, properly controlled to make their effect acceptable. For these reasons I find the development unacceptably harmful to the character and appearance of the rural area, which it fails to protect. In consequence it fails to satisfy the relevant Development Plan policies."
Issue (iii)
Lady Justice Arden :
Lady Justice Smith :