Specialist planning court to boost UK business

In a move aimed at supporting the recovery of the UK economy, a specialist planning court has been proposed by Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, to help ensure crucial development projects don’t get mired in unnecessary legal delay.

The new “planning chamber” is one of a package of proposals designed to speed up the judicial review process and drive out meritless cases which clog up courts and slow the progress of legitimate applications.

The “planning chamber” would see judicial review decisions relating to major developments taken only by expert judges and would take advantage of streamlined processes so they are considered as quickly as possible.

In a consultation the Government is asking for views on whether, and how, to limit who is able to apply for a judicial review – for example to only people who have a direct interest in the case.

Other issues being consulted on include:

• Changing the rules around who has to pay the legal bills for cases – so all parties have an equal interest in ensuring unnecessary costs are not racked up.
• Targeting legal aid funding at cases with merit, so that the legal aid system commands public confidence and credibility.
• Speeding up appeals in important cases by making it possible more often for them to be considered by the Supreme Court without first going to the Court of Appeal.