Judge quashes planning permission for residential extension after planning authority decides not to contest claim

Landmark Chambers said the claimant in R (Hobbs) v Dorset Council (CO/556/2022) alleged that the council had:

(a) breached its statutory duty to consult him by failing to pass his consultation response onto planning officers;

(b) failed to have regard to material considerations; and

(c) failed to provide adequate reasons.

The defendant local planning authority did not contest the claim and Mrs Justice Lang quashed the permission.

Landmark said: “This case serves as a helpful reminder of the importance of consultation in the determination of planning applications and of the need for local planning authorities to ensure that their decision-making is clearly recorded.”

Ben Fullbrook of Landmark represented the claimant.