tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170718846507476773.post1794315669367616362..comments2022-12-13T14:45:12.233+00:00Comments on Martin Goodall's Planning Law Blog: Concealed development and the Connor principleMartin H Goodallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07079479984296674469noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170718846507476773.post-72450706952656201522012-06-17T17:11:09.249+01:002012-06-17T17:11:09.249+01:00JB makes a perfectly reasonable point, but I remai...JB makes a perfectly reasonable point, but I remain doubtful as to whether magistrates can or should necessarily draw the inference from such facts that JB suggests.Martin H Goodallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07079479984296674469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170718846507476773.post-67268531977867569162012-06-16T12:02:16.412+01:002012-06-16T12:02:16.412+01:00I am no expert on the matter and can only look at ...I am no expert on the matter and can only look at it from a (hopefully common sense) layman point of view.<br />I was always told that ignorance of the law is no defence.<br />I would have thought that the size of any development would be an appropriate indication whether it was an unintentional omission, or deliberate concealment – the larger instances being most probably concealment, since it would be obvious (even to the most ignorant) that planning permission was necessary.<br />The references to not paying council tax, not registering on the electoral roll, not obtaining a TV licence etc., would be compared with the same actions in the years before the 'development' start date and also compared relative to different properties that the person had been, or was also currently involved with. If such lapses were not apparent, or common, before the start date, or with other properties lived in, the probability is towards concealment.JBnoreply@blogger.com