Cases - Coleshill and District Investment Co v Minister of Housing and Local Government

Record details

Name

Coleshill and District Investment Co v Minister of Housing and Local Government

Date

[1969]

Citation

2 AII ER 525

Keywords

Planning control

Summary

The appellants acquired disused explosives stores buildings. The buildings were protected by blast walls and embankments. The appellants removed the embankments and proposed removing the blast walls. The Minister determined:

• that the removal of the embankments was an engineering operation; and
• that the removal of the blast walls was an alteration of the buildings and one that would materially alter the external appearance of the buildings.

The House of Lords held that the questions before the Minister were largely matters of fact and degree. Given the magnitude of the work of demolition of the embankments the Minister could reasonably regard that as constituting an engineering operation.