PROCEDURE

The case was referred to the Court, in accordance with the provisions applicable prior to the entry into force of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”),0 by the European Commission of Human Rights (“the Commission”) on 30 October 1999 and by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“the Government”), on 10 December 1999 (Article 5 § 4 of Protocol No. 11 and former Articles 47 and 48 of the Convention).

The case originated in an application (no. 25154/94) against the United Kingdom lodged with the Commission under former Article 25 of the Convention by a British citizen, Mrs Jane Smith (“the applicant”), on 4 May 1994.

The applicant alleged that planning and enforcement measures taken against her in respect of her occupation of her land in her caravans violated her right to respect for home, her family and private life contrary to Article 8 of the Convention. She complained that these measures also disclosed an interference with the peaceful enjoyment of her possessions contrary to Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention and that she had no effective access to court to challenge the decisions taken by the planning authorities contrary to Article 6 of the Convention. She further complained that she was subject to discrimination as a gypsy contrary to Article 14 of the Convention and that her children had been denied education contrary to Article 2 of Protocol No. 1.

The Commission declared the application admissible on 4 March 1998. In its report of 25 October 1999 (former Article 31 of the Convention), it expressed the opinion that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the Convention (18 votes to 8), that there had been no violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (21 votes to 5), that there had been no violation of Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (21 votes to 5), that there had been no violation of Article 6 of the Convention (24 votes to 2) and that there had been no violation of Article 14 of the Convention (18 votes to 8).0

Before the Court the applicant, who had been granted legal aid, was represented by Messrs Lance Kent and Co., solicitors practising in Berkhamsted. The United Kingdom Government were represented by their Agent, Mr Llewellyn of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

On 13 December 1999, the panel of the Grand Chamber determined that the case should be decided by the Grand Chamber (Rule 100 § 1 of the Rules of Court). The composition of the Grand Chamber was determined according to the provisions of Article 27 §§ 2 and 3 of the Convention and Rule 24 of the Rules of Court. Sir Nicolas Bratza, the judge elected in respect of the United Kingdom, who had taken part in the Commission’s examination of the case, withdrew from sitting in the Grand Chamber (Rule 28). The Government accordingly appointed Lord Justice Schiemann to sit as an ad hoc judge in his place (Article 27 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 29 § 1).

The applicant and the Government each filed a memorial. Third-party comments were also received from European Roma Rights Centre, which had been given leave by the President to intervene in the written procedure (Article 36 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 61 § 3).

A hearing took place in public in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on 24 May 2000 (Rule 59 § 2). There appeared before the Court: (a) for the respondent Government Mr H. Llewellyn, Agent, Mr D. Pannick Q.C., Mr D. Elvin Q.C., Mr M. Shaw, Counsel, Mr D. Russell, Mr S. Marshall-Camm, Advisers; (b) for the applicant Mr R. Drabble Q.C., Mr T. Jones, Mr M. Hunt, Counsel, Mrs D. Allen, Solicitor. The Court heard addresses by Mr Drabble and Mr Pannick.

On 29 November 2000, Mr Makarczyk, who was unable to take part in further consideration of the case, was replaced by Mr Bonello (Rules 24 § 5 (b) and 28).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant is a gypsy by birth. Since her birth she has travelled constantly, mainly in the Surrey area, with her family in search of work. After marrying her husband, A, approximately 20 years ago, this nomadic way of life continued. They have five children, born in 1975, 1977, 1982, 1989 and 1994.

The applicant and A are illiterate, as, due to their way of life, they have received little, if any, formal education. They regard travelling as detrimental to both the health of their family and to the education of their children. The applicant suffers from depression, her husband from severe gout and several of her children are asthmatic.

In pursuit of a more stable existence, the applicant and her husband applied repeatedly throughout the years for places on many of the local private and official sites in Surrey including the official sites in Runnymede. Their applications proved unsuccessful as all the sites were full with long waiting lists. Consequently, the applicant and her husband had no option but to continue travelling. They were required to move on from roadside to roadside on innumerable occasions. For a period of time they stayed at a private site but when it was redeveloped as an official site, they were forced to move on as no space was available for them. In 1984 they stayed on a relative’s site for a period of time but were forced to leave. While the Government have suggested that in fact the applicants owned this land and that it received planning permission, this was denied by the applicant. According to the applicant, the land belonged to her brother. When, following his divorce, the land was ordered to be sold by the court as part of the financial settlement, the applicant had to leave.

In March 1993, the applicant bought land known as 111A Almners Road, Runnymede. It was a portion of a garden in a Green Belt area where there was already some residential development. The applicant moved a mobile home onto the land and took up residence with her family. In a declaration dated 7 March 1996 the applicant’s uncle, Jasper Smith, a member of the Gypsy Council and an employee of Surrey County Council, stated that he had attempted on numerous occasions prior to 1993 to obtain a site on an official site on behalf of the applicant without success.

On 25 June 1993, Runnymede Borough Council (“the Council”) rejected the applicant’s application to join the waiting list for rented council accommodation on the basis that they had not lived in the borough for a minimum of three years. The applicant alleged that by this time they had lived for many years in the Runnymede area, although they had been compelled to move on frequently from place to place.

In 1988, the High Court had granted a declaration that Surrey County Council was in breach of its duty under section 6 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 to provide provision for gypsies (R. v. Secretary of State ex parte Smith [1988] C.O.D. 3). In June 1989, the Secretary of State issued a direction under section 9 of the 1968 Act directing that 190 caravans should be accommodated. However, on 18 August 1989, the Borough of Runnymede was declared a designated area pursuant to section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968. The area was designated on the basis that it was not expedient for adequate provision to be made for gypsies residing in or resorting to the borough.

The previous owner of 111A Almners Road, also a gypsy, had been refused planning permission in January 1993 to live on the land in a caravan on the basis that it conflicted with local and national planning policies. The Council considered that the stationing of a caravan would be detrimental to the character of the Green Belt. An enforcement notice had been issued requiring discontinuance of the unauthorised use. The applicant was aware of this situation and the fact that the previous owner had appealed to the Secretary of State for the Environment against the refusal of planning permission and the enforcement order. When the applicant purchased the land, she was advised that there was a special concession for granting planning permission to gypsies in Green Belt areas under Circular 28/77. Accordingly, she took over the appeal from the previous owner.

On 20 April 1993, a Public Enquiry was held. An Inspector appointed by the Department of Environment heard evidence and representations from the applicant and the Council. By a letter dated 3 June 1993, the Inspector dismissed the appeal. “10. The mobile home is situated on an enclosed plot of land fronting Almners Road, adjacent to No. 111. This land is separated from the adjacent house by a screen fence, which continues along the rear boundary of the appeal site. The site is contained on its other side boundary by a row of conifer trees. The land has a frontage of about 19 m to the road, most of which is formed by a hedge. …

From my inspection of the site and its surroundings and from the representations made I consider that there are two main issues… Firstly, whether the use of the land as a residential caravan site for a mobile home and associated operational development is appropriate to this part of the Metropolitan Green Belt; and, if not, secondly, whether there are very special circumstances that would justify the retention of inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

On the first issue, the use of land as a residential caravan site is not one of the purposes listed as being appropriate to the green belt in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG2). However, policy C4 of the approved Surrey Structure Plan 1989 and policy PE2 of … the Replacement Structure Plan 1992 provide that gypsy caravan sites may be appropriate and necessary in the green belt, but they will not be considered acceptable as of right.

The appeals site lies within the south west sector of the Metropolitan Green Belt. This section is described as containing valuable green wedges which thrust inwards to the Thames west of Molesey. Lyne is a small settlement located within one of these wedges. Given its location within a narrow stretch of generally open countryside between Virginia Water and Chertsey I agree with the council that the appeals site lies within a particularly sensitive part of the green belt.

From my own observations I agree … that Almners Road comprises three distinct parts and that the appeals site lies within the significant gap between Nos 99 and 131 which is predominantly rural in character despite the presence of Nos 109 and 111. The rustic feel of the locality is enhanced by the woodlands to the rear of [the applicants’] land and the field on the opposite side… Notwithstanding the previous use of the land as part of the garden of No. 111, the unauthorised use and works represent an encroachment of additional development into a predominantly rural locality. It also contributes towards the coalescence of the nearby built up frontages on Almners Road and thereby the merger of nearby settlements. As a result I consider that the development subject to the appeals conflicts with the second and third objectives of government green belt policy listed in PPG2. …

Whilst the mobile home is set behind the front of the adjoining house and its range of visibility from the other direction on Almners Road is limited by conifers on its western boundary, it, and the related operational development is significantly different to the character of the touring caravans that are parked in some of the nearby gardens, which are incidental to the enjoyment of the residential curtilages within which they stand. Notwithstanding the support of some nearby residents, I consider that the discernible presence of the unauthorised development on the appeals site is harmful to the appearance of this mainly rural location. … In light of this and its particular impact on the aims of green belt policy, I conclude … that the use of the land for a residential caravan site for a mobile home and associated operational development is not appropriate to this part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Turning to my second issue, Circular 28/77 states that it may be necessary to accept the establishment of gypsy caravan sites in green belt areas and that there are advantages in gypsies providing their own sites. However, in designating Runnymede under the Caravan Sites Act 1968 on the grounds of expediency the Secretary of State gave significant weight to the extent of and characteristics of the green belt within the borough and the number of sites that had already been provided within these areas. …

Circular 28/77 advises that after a district or borough has been designated, authorities may have to be prepared to increase the provision they have made if there is a subsequent expansion of the gypsy population in their area and it is nearly 4 years since the designation of Runnymede in June 1989. However since then the quarterly surveys indicate that the number of vans parked illegally in the borough has tended to decline. Consequently, having regard to the reasons given for designation, there does not appear to be a case at this time for permitting additional gypsy caravan sites, in the green belt in Runnymede, contrary to policies H12 and H09, unless there are very special circumstances.

Having regard to the personal circumstances of [the applicants] none of the family requires regular hospital treatment and I do not consider the ailments of [the applicant and her husband] and two of their children are so exceptional or debilitating as to constitute compelling reasons for allowing inappropriate development in the green belt. Whilst I sympathise with [the applicants’] aim to have the two youngest children educated, only one of these is currently at school and there is no evidence that this locality is preferable to any other in terms of access to educational facilities.

I can appreciate [the applicants’] current desire to settle in one place but there is no specific reason why this has to be in the green belt. With regard to the consequences of [the applicants] having to vacate the site you state that they would have no alternative to reverting to their previous existence of moving from one unauthorised site to another, with consequent hardship for the family and inconvenience to the general public. In this respect … the borough and district councils have no record that [the applicants] have sought a place on any of the official sites and [the applicant] stated that she has not enquired whether there was any space on any of the sites occupied by her relatives. Additionally, it would be open to [the applicants] to seek priority housing from the Council.

… I accept that [the applicant and her husband] have lived and worked in this area for some time and that it might not be possible to accommodate [their] mobile home on any authorised site within the area. However, on the basis of the evidence at the inquiry I am not convinced that all avenues relating to possible alternative accommodation have been fully explored. I am not, therefore, assured that [the applicants] inevitably would have to return to living on unauthorised sites… In any event, I am not persuaded that such a consequence … together with any limited benefits that might arise in terms of the health and education of the family represent very special circumstances that would justify the retention of this inappropriate development in this particularly sensitive part of the Metropolitan Green Belt. …”

The applicant remained on her land in the caravan as the family had not been offered a place on an official campsite and thus had no alternative legal site to place their caravan.

On 29 July 1993, the applicant applied to the Council for planning permission to build a bungalow, of which there were already some 20 on Almners Road. The Council refused planning permission. On 16 September 1993, the applicant appealed this decision by written statement as she could not afford a public enquiry.

On 29 November 1993, an Inspector appointed by the Department of the Environment dismissed the appeal on similar grounds to the earlier appeal, namely that the bungalow was inappropriate within the Green Belt and that there were no special circumstances which would override the strong presumption against such a development, which in this case would contribute to the coalescence of existing developments and further diminish the rural character of the area. As a consequence, the applicant and her husband were in breach of the enforcement notice and liable to receive a summons issued by the Council for breach of Planning Regulations.

Injunction proceedings were instituted against the applicant and her family by the Council. On 5 September 1994, the Council obtained an injunction in the High Court requiring the applicant and her family to move off their land immediately. The applicant applied for judicial review of this decision and was granted limited legal aid. However, she received counsel’s opinion which advised that the application was doomed to failure.

In light of the new Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which came into force on 3 November 1994, the applicant, in fear of being on the roadside, applied to be placed on the local authority homeless list on 4 August 1994. The Council informed the applicant’s solicitors on 4 November 1994 that the applicant had been placed on the list.

The applicant was offered accommodation in two flats in a town. However, the rent was excessively high and there was no facility to keep her husband’s van nor his tarmacadaming and landscape gardening equipment. Moreover, the environment next to a busy, treeless road was contrary to the country existence which she and her family had enjoyed all their lives. They have applied for accommodation in a more natural environment but no offer has yet been made. The Council had previously offered three alternative pieces of land which were subsequently withdrawn due to a methane gas leak, boggy ground and vicinity to a rubbish dump respectively.

The local authority has stated that, in the event that the applicant is forced to leave the site, the authority will provide temporary accommodation for her until permanent accommodation becomes available. However, in view of the restrictions on development within the Green Belt, all accommodation offered will be in urban areas.

The 1995 Annual Report from Surrey County Council planning department revealed that following the coming into force of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 the County Council no longer had an obligation to identify new gypsy caravan sites and that unless very special circumstances were proved it was unlikely that new sites would be allowed in Green Belt and sensitive areas. The statistics for 1994 showed that the official sites in the area catered for 44 caravans while there were another 26 caravans on unauthorised sites.

The applicant stated that in May 1997 the local authority decided to institute proceedings against her. Though no proceedings were issued, the Council threatened to do so from time to time and she lived under the threat of committal for contempt. The applicant’s husband continued to suffer from severe gout and was recently in hospital for treatment. He and the applicant both suffer from depression. Her eldest son, his wife, their son and baby lived with her, as well as three other children. The applicant’s children of school age were attending the local school regularly. The applicant stated that she continued to visit gypsy sites to see whether pitches were available but she has not been offered a pitch on any site and has not received any visits from the local authority.

In the Runnymede area, there were two local authority sites accommodating 50 caravans. In addition there were 12 caravans on authorised sites and 18 caravans on unauthorised sites. The applicant submitted that since the 1989 direction by the Secretary of State only 22 additional pitches were provided. Since 1996, there had been no increase in provision in either public or private sites and no decrease in the number of unlawful encampments. The applicant submitted that all the area of the Council was in the Metropolitan Green Belt area while the Government stated that only a large part of it was. The diagram and materials submitted from the Surrey Structure Plan 1994 indicates that 70% of the County was Green Belt, 20% urban and 10% countryside beyond the Green Belt, which includes some areas designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) or designated landscape value (ADLV). Parts of the Green Belt area are also classed as AONB and ADLV. AONB and ADLV areas account for 40% of the County. According to the diagram, the Runnymede area consists entirely of Green Belt and urban centres.