The Law Commission has called for landowners to be given greater powers to ensure the conservation of land, forests, habitats and historic buildings over the long-term. In a report published this week, Conservation Covenants, it recommends a new statutory scheme for conservation covenants. These are private, voluntary agreements between a landowner and a conservation organisation, which enable the landowner to pass on their property in the knowledge that its special features will continue to be protected. Such agreements are used in Scotland, the US and Australia.
25 June 2014
Conservation covenants
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield
Regulatory team boosted by partner hire amid rising health and safety demand
Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber
Legal director promoted to partner at specialist pensions firm
Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree
Residential development capability expands with partner hire in Birmingham
NEWS
From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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