Havant Borough Council
Client
Approach
In January 2021 Node provided expert witness services on heritage matters at planning inquiry on behalf of Havant Borough Council.
The heritage team applied their expertise in heritage assessment and advocacy to defend the council’s position to refuse a scheme found harmful to heritage assets, via development within their settings.
Result
Node worked closely with the local planning authority and a team of barristers and other specialist experts to present a compelling case on behalf of the council.
The team delivered a proof of evidence informed by detailed analysis of the appeal site, following methods closely aligned to technical best practice.
We defended robustly under cross examination at inquiry, with the strength of evidence leading to the withdrawal of a costs application against the planning authority by the appellant, and a full acceptance of our position on heritage impact by the planning inspectorate.
Testimonial
“Node acted as an expert witness for Havant Borough Council for a planning appeal, providing a high quality statement of proof and robust answers to cross examination which helped to avoid an award of costs against the Council.”