House of Lords rules on planning and human rights

In what some observers have described as the most important planning case for fifty years, the House of Lords has held that the current system under which the Secretary of State is able to decide important planning decisions is not consistent with principles of human rights introduced in the Human Rights Act 2000. The result of the Alconbury case (House of Lords, 9 May 2001) is a setback for those arguing for an independent planning court or tribunal, but still leaves open important issues concerning the impact of human rights principles on current procedures.