ABSTRACT

In R v Secretary of State ex p London Borough of Croydon [1999] JPL September Update, the High Court dismissed an application for judicial review to quash an inspector’s decision to refuse to adjourn a public inquiry. The matter arose following the initial failure of officers to report an Art 14 Direction (that is, call in by the Secretary of State), to their committee. When the matter was eventually reported, the committee decided not to contest the appeal and went on to recommend approval to a second application which was in similar terms. The officers sought an eight week adjournment because they had no authority to represent the authority at an inquiry. The inspector had properly balanced the public interest in ensuring that sound decisions are made in avoiding unnecessary delay. The court concluded that the local planning authority was responsible for the predicament in which it found itself.