Anthony Crean QC and Killian Garvey successfully acted for Swindon Borough Council, who were seeking the compulsory purchase order of land on the northern edge of the town centre. The Council will now be able to develop the land in order to create a public thoroughfare leading from the train station to the main shopping area. The inquiry focused upon the interpretation of guidance for the exercise of compulsory purchase powers and the test of whether there was a ‘compelling case in the public interest’ that justified the CPO. Significantly, further representations were required after the close of inquiry to address the most recent guidance – namely: Guidance on Compulsory Purchase Process and the Crichel Down Rules for the disposal of surplus land acquired by, or under the threat of, compulsion. This will, therefore, be one of the first inquiries nationwide where this latest guidance was relied upon.
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