Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Andrews on 30 June (WS 5–6), whether they will include in the list of cases where the Secretary of State will consider recovery of appeals those cases where the outcome will set a precedent for developments elsewhere in the country, even if the particular development under consideration is not major, substantial or significant.
Answer
There is sufficient scope under the existing recovery criteria to recover appeals which might set a precedent for developments elsewhere in the country, including under the criterion ““proposals which raise important or novel issues of development control, and/or legal difficulties”” or under the general provision that ““there may on occasion be other cases which merit recovery because of the particular circumstances””. Whether a particular appeal merits recovery depends on the facts of the case.