PUBLICATIONS

While the appellant will feel vindicated that an appropriate assessment was riled not to be required in relation to effects on a Ramsar site, the Court also ruled that, where Habitats Regulations do apply, an appropriate assessment and measures to ensure nutrient neutrality can be required at discharge-of-conditions stage. The latter part of the decision sits at odds with the government’s objective to beat the blockers and deliver 1.5 million new homes.

The accommodation of asylum seekers continues to raise challenges for both those working to fulfil the need for such accommodation and local authorities. In this article, we examine the recent judgment of Mr. Justice Mould in the case of Epping Forest District Council v Somani Hotels Ltd EWHC 2937 (KB), delivered on 13–15 October 2025.

The Supreme Court has handed down its long-awaited decision in the C G Fry case. The decision affirms that an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations should be carried out, and nutrient neutrality measures required, after the grant of planning permission, at reserved matters or when discharging pre-commencement conditions, where there are effects on a habitats site protected under the Habitats Regulations.

In a recent Local Government Lawyer article planning partner Chrisa Tsompani examines how the Government's planning reforms could reshape every lawyer of the sector.