Source: http://echr.ketse.com/doc/25289.94-en-20010118/view/
Timestamp: 2020-02-17 02:18:08
Document Index: 133253389

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 4', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 2', '§ 5', '§ 21', '§ 35', '§ 64', '§ 54', '§ 74', '§ 80', '§ 52', '§ 55', '§ 75', 'in fine', '§ 76', '§ 76', '§ 31', '§ 49', '§ 31', '§ 81', '§ 44']

LEE v. THE UNITED KINGDOM About Project
CASE OF LEE v. THE UNITED KINGDOM
1. 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”),1 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).
5. Before the Court the applicant, who had been granted legal aid, was represented by Mr Mark Tilbury, a solicitor practising in King’s Lynn. The United Kingdom Government were represented by their Agent, Mr Llewellyn of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
6. 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).
7. 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).
8. A hearing took place in public in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on 24 May 2000 (Rule 59 § 2).
9. 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).
23. The applicant stated that planning permission had been given to a non-gypsy to station a caravan on the site adjacent to the applicant’s. Outline planning permission had also been given for a development of 600 residential units 600 yards from his site. The Government have provided information and documents concerning both developments.
Temporary planning permission was granted for two years in August 1994 for a caravan on a site called Larkey Wood Farm. The purpose of this was to enable the owner to establish the viability of his pig unit and the permission limited to occupation by an agricultural worker. Permission was granted recently for a permanent dwelling of the site given the established agricultural need and the owner’s establishment of the viability of his pig farm. In the Inspector’s decision of 17 August 1994, he found that this site did not have as unfortunate effect on the landscape as the applicant’s, though it did detract from the openness of the countryside and the natural appearance of the landscape.
The Government have also explained that in the 1990’s a hospital (St. Augustine’s), which was a large complex of buildings, closed down and it has been considered by the Council as suitable for residential development. The outline planning permission was granted to accommodate 600 houses and took into account the need to landscape the site. The applicant provided photographs of his own site and the Larkey Wood Farm site and the Government provided an aerial photograph identifying the locations of these developments relative to the applicant’s land.
26. The 1990 Act provides for an appeal to the Secretary of State in the event of a refusal of permission (section 78). With immaterial exceptions, the Secretary of State must, if either the appellant or the authority so desire, give each of them the opportunity of making representations to an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. It is established practice that each inspector must exercise independent judgment and must not be subject to any improper influence (see the Bryan v. the United Kingdom judgment of 22 November 1995, Series A no. 335-A, p. 11, § 21). There is a further appeal to the High Court on the ground that the Secretary of State’s decision was not within the powers conferred by the 1990 Act, or that the relevant requirements of the 1990 Act were not complied with (section 288).
45. Section 77 of the 1994 Act gives to a local authority power to direct an unauthorised camper to move. An unauthorised camper is defined as
“a person for the time being residing in a vehicle on any land forming part of the highway, any other unoccupied land or any occupied land without the owner’s consent”.
the housing of homeless persons. In a judgment of 22 September 1995 (R. v. Lincolnshire County Council, ex parte Atkinson, R. v. Wealden District Council, ex parte Wales and R. v. Wealden District Council, ex parte Stratford, unreported), the High Court held that it would be an error of law for any local authority to ignore those duties which must be considered from the earliest stages.
I. Gypsy sites policies in development plans
51. In a letter dated 25 May 1998, the Department of the Environment drew to the attention of all local planning authorities in England that Circular 1/94 required local planning authorities to assess the need for gypsy accommodation in their areas and make suitable locational and/or criteria based policies against which to decide planning applications. The Government was concerned that this guidance had not been taken up. ACERT research (see below) had showed that 24% of local authorities (96) had no policy at all on gypsy sites and that many in the process of reviewing their plans at the time of the survey did not feel it necessary to include policies on gypsy provision. It was emphasised that it was important to include consideration of gypsy needs at an early stage in drawing up structure and development plans and that detailed policies should be provided. Compliance with this guidance was essential in fulfilling the Government’s objective that gypsies should seek to provide their own accommodation, applying for planning permission like everyone else. It was necessary, therefore, that adequate gypsy site provision be made in development plans to facilitate this process.
J. 1998 ACERT research into provision for private gypsy sites
53. The research looked, inter alia, at 114 refused private site applications, which showed that 97% related to land within the countryside and that 96% were refused on grounds relating to the amenity value (e.g. Green Belt, conservation area locations). Of the 50 gypsy site applicants interviewed, for most acquiring permission for their own land was an important factor in improving the quality of life, gaining independence and providing security. For many, the education of their children was another important reason for private site application. All save one had applied for permission retrospectively.
54. The report stated that the figures for success rates in 624 planning appeals showed that before 1992 the success rate had averaged 35% but had decreased since. Having regard however to the way in which data was recorded, the actual success rate was probably between 35% and 10% as given as the figures in 1992 and 1996 by the gypsy groups and Department of the Environment respectively. Notwithstanding the objectives of planning policy that local authorities make provision for gypsies, most local authorities did not identify any areas of land as suitable for potential development by gypsies and reached planning decisions on the basis of land-use criteria in the particular case. It was therefore not surprising that most gypsies made retrospective applications and that they had little success in identifying land on which local authority would permit development. Granting of permission for private sites remained haphazard and unpredictable.
“Under current law, Gypsies have three options for lawful camping: parking on public caravan sites - which the Government acknowledges to be insufficient; parking on occupied land with the consent of the occupier; and parking on property owned by the campers themselves. The British Government has issued guidance to local authorities aimed at encouraging the last approach. In practice, however, and notwithstanding official recognition of their special situation and needs, many Gypsies have encountered formidable obstacles to obtaining the requisite permission to park their caravans on their own property…” (pp. 112-113).
68. Concerning the planning regime which requires planning permission for the development of land disclosed by the stationing caravans, it stated:
71. The Government disputed those allegations. The Commission by eighteen votes to eight found that there had been no violation of this provision.
72. The Court recalls that it has already examined complaints about the planning and enforcement measures imposed on a gypsy family who occupied their own land without planning permission in the case of Buckley v. the United Kingdom (judgment of 25 September 1996, Reports 1996-IV, p. 1271). Both parties have referred extensively to the findings of the Court in that case, as well as the differing approach of the Commission.
The Court considers that, while it is not formally bound to follow any of its previous judgments, it is in the interests of legal certainty, foreseeability and equality before the law that it should not depart, without good reason, from precedents laid down in previous cases. Since the Convention is first
and foremost a system for the protection of human rights, the Court must however have regard to the changing conditions in Contracting States and respond, for example, to any emerging consensus as to the standards to be achieved (see, amongst other authorities, the Cossey v. the United Kingdom judgment of 27 September 1990, Series A no. 184, p. 14, § 35).
A. As to the rights in issue under Article 8 of the Convention
73. The applicant submitted that measures threatening his occupation in caravans on his land affected not only his home, but also his private and family life as a gypsy with a traditional lifestyle of living in mobile homes which allow travelling. He refers to the consistent approach of the Commission in his own and similar cases (see, for example, the Buckley case, cited above, Comm. Rep. 11.1.95, § 64).
74. The Government accepted that the applicant’s complaints concerned his right to respect for home and stated that it was unnecessary to consider whether the applicant’s right to respect for his private life and family life was also in issue (see the Buckley judgment, cited above, §§ 54-55).
82. The Government submitted that the measures in question pursued the enforcement of planning controls which were in the interests of the economic well-being of the country and the preservation of the environment and public health.
83. The applicant accepted that the measures pursued the legitimate aim of protecting the “rights of others” in the sense of environmental protection. He did not accept that any other legitimate aim was concerned.
E. Whether the interference was “necessary in a democratic society”?
85. The applicant submitted that, in assessing the necessity of the measures in this case, the importance of what was at stake for him weighed very heavily in the balance, as it not only concerned the security of his home but also his right to live, with his family, the traditional gypsy lifestyle. The growing international consensus about the importance of providing legal protection to the rights of minorities, as illustrated, inter alia, by the Framework Convention for the Protection of Minorities emphasised that this was also of significance to the community as a whole as a fundamental value of a civilised democracy. In these circumstances, any margin of appreciation accorded to the domestic decision-making bodies should be narrower, rather than wider.
86. The applicant argued that the procedural safeguards in the decision-making process only gave limited recognition to those considerations in his case. Planning inspectors approached their decisions constrained by the laws and policies applying to development of land, which placed, for example, particular weight on the protection of Special Landscape Areas. The interest of gypsies in residing on their land was not seen as a useful or indispensable land-use feature and therefore automatically carried much less weight in the domestic balancing exercise. Thus, the “personal circumstances” of the gypsies could seldom outweigh the more general planning considerations.
88. The Government emphasised that, as recognised by the Court in the Buckley case (cited above, §§ 74-75), in the context of town and country planning, which involved the exercise of discretionary judgment in implementing policies in the interests of the community, national authorities were in a better position to evaluate local needs and conditions than an international court. It was not for the Court to substitute its view of what would be the best planning policy or the most appropriate measure in a particular case.
90. The Government further submitted that the Planning Inspector had found it likely that other sites would be available in the area and pointed out that it was open to the applicant to travel to other caravan sites outside that local authority area. They pointed out that the applicant took up residence on his land, which was in an Special Landscape Area, without obtaining, or even applying for the prior planning permission necessary to render that occupation lawful. When he did apply for planning permission, the applicant had the opportunity of presenting the arguments in his favour in proceedings conducted by an Inspector, who gave his personal circumstances careful consideration. However, the Inspector found that his occupation of his land was very harmful to the landscape of the attractive area. The applicant could not rely on Article 8 as giving his preference as to his place of residence to outweigh the general interest. Finally, it should be noted that the applicant has not been subject to any prosecutions.
(c) Intervention by the European Roma Rights Centre
92. An interference will be considered “necessary in a democratic society” for a legitimate aim if it answers a “pressing social need” and, in particular, if it is proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued. While it is for the national authorities to make the initial assessment of necessity, the final evaluation as to whether the reasons cited for the interference are relevant and sufficient remains subject to review by the Court for conformity with the requirements of the Convention (see, amongst other authorities, the Lustig-Prean and Beckett v. the United Kingdom judgment of 27 September 1999, to be reported in Reports 1999-…, §§ 80-81).
93. In this regard, a margin of appreciation must, inevitably, be left to the national authorities, who by reason of their direct and continuous contact with the vital forces of their countries are in principle better placed than an international court to evaluate local needs and conditions. This margin will vary according to the nature of the Convention right in issue, its importance for the individual and the nature of the activities restricted, as well as the nature of the aim pursued by the restrictions (see the Dudgeon v. the United Kingdom judgment 22 October 1982, Series A no. 45, p. 21, § 52; the Gillow v. the United Kingdom judgment of 24 November 1986, Series A no. 109, p. 22, § 55).
94. The judgment in any particular case by the national authorities that there are legitimate planning objections to a particular use of a site is one which the Court is not well equipped to challenge. It can not visit each site to assess the impact of a particular proposal on a particular area in terms of impact on beauty, traffic conditions, sewerage and water facilities, educational facilities, medical facilities, employment opportunities and so on. Because Planning Inspectors visit the site, hear the arguments on all sides and allow examination of witnesses, they are better situated than the Court to weigh the arguments. Hence, as the Court observed in Buckley (loc. cit. p. 1292, § 75 in fine), “in so far as the exercise of discretion involving a multitude of local factors is inherent in the choice and implementation of planning policies, the national authorities in principle enjoy a wide margin of appreciation”, although it remains open to the Court to conclude that there has been a manifest error of appreciation by the national authorities. In these circumstances, the procedural safeguards available to the individual applicant will be especially material in determining whether the respondent State has, when fixing the regulatory framework, remained within its margin of appreciation. In particular, it must examine whether the decision-making process leading to measures of interference was fair and such as to afford due respect to the interests safeguarded to the individual by Article 8 (see the Buckley judgment, cited above, p. 1292-3, §§ 76-77).
96. However, the Court is not persuaded that the consensus is sufficiently concrete for it to derive any guidance as to the conduct or standards which Contracting States consider desirable in any particular situation. The Framework Convention, for example, sets out general principles and goals but signatory states were unable to agree on means or implementation. This reinforces the Court’s view that the complexity and sensitivity of the issues involved in policies balancing the interests of the general population, in particular with regard to environmental protection and the interests of a minority with possibly conflicting requirements, renders the Court’s role a strictly supervisory one.
97. Moreover, to accord to a gypsy who has unlawfully established a caravan site at a particular place different treatment from that accorded to non-gypsies who have established a caravan site at that place or from that accorded to any individual who has established a house in that particular place would raise substantial problems under Article 14 of the Convention.
98. Nonetheless, although the fact of being a member of a minority with a traditional lifestyle different from that of the majority of a society does not confer an immunity from general laws intended to safeguard assets common to the whole society such as the environment, it may have an incidence on the manner in which such laws are to be implemented. As intimated in the Buckley judgment, the vulnerable position of gypsies as a minority means that some special consideration should be given to their needs and their different lifestyle both in the relevant regulatory planning framework and in arriving at the decisions in particular cases (loc. cit., pp. 1292-95, §§ 76, 80, 84). To this extent there is thus a positive obligation imposed on the Contracting States by virtue of Article 8 to facilitate the gypsy way of life (see, mutatis mutandis, the Marckx v. Belgium judgment of 13 June 1979, Series A no. 31, p. 15, § 31, the Keegan v. Ireland judgment of 26 May 1994, Series A no. 290, p. 19, § 49 and the Kroon and Others v. the Netherlands judgment of 27 October 1994, Series A no. 297-C, p. 56, § 31).
99. It is important to appreciate that in principle gypsies are at liberty to camp on any caravan site which has planning permission; there has been no suggestion that permissions exclude gypsies as a group. They are not treated worse than any non-gypsy who wants to live in a caravan and finds it disagreeable to live in a house. However, it appears from the material placed before the Court, including judgments of the English courts, that the provision of an adequate number of sites which the gypsies find acceptable and on which they can lawfully place their caravans at a price which they can afford is something which has not been achieved.
100. The Court does not, however, accept the argument that, because statistically the number of gypsies is greater than the number of places available in authorised gypsy sites, the decision not to allow the applicant gypsy family to occupy land where they wished in order to install their caravan in itself, and without more, constituted a violation of Article 8. This would be tantamount to imposing on the United Kingdom, as on all the other Contracting States, an obligation by virtue of Article 8 to make available to the gypsy community an adequate number of suitably equipped sites. The Court is not convinced, despite the undoubted evolution that has taken place in both international law, as evidenced by the Framework Convention, and domestic legislations in regard to protection of minorities, that Article 8 can be interpreted to involve such a far-reaching positive obligation of general social policy being imposed on States (see paragraphs 95-96 above).
101. It is important to recall that Article 8 does not in terms give a right to be provided with a home. Nor does any of the jurisprudence of the Court acknowledge such a right. While it is clearly desirable that every human being has a place where he or she can live in dignity and which he or she can call home, there are unfortunately in the Contracting States many persons who have no home. Whether the State provides funds to enable everyone to have a home is a matter for political not judicial decision.
103. In this connection, the legal and social context in which the impugned measure of expulsion was taken against the applicants is, however, a material factor.
104. Where a dwelling has been established without the planning permission which is needed under the national law, there is a conflict of interest between the right of the individual under Article 8 of the Convention to respect for his or her home and the right of others in the community to environmental protection (see paragraph 83). When considering whether a requirement that the individual leave his or her home is proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued, it is highly relevant whether or not the home was established unlawfully. If the home was lawfully established, this factor would self-evidently be something which would weigh against the legitimacy of requiring the individual to move. Conversely, if the establishment of a home in a particular place was unlawful, the position of the individual objecting to an order to move is less strong. The Court will be slow to grant protection to those who, in conscious defiance of the prohibitions of the law, establish a home on an environmentally protected site. For the Court to do otherwise would be to encourage illegal action to the detriment of the protection of the environmental rights of other people in the community.
105. A further relevant consideration, to be taken into account in the first place by the national authorities, is that if no alternative accommodation is available, the interference is more serious than where such accommodation is available. The more suitable the alternative accommodation is, the less serious is the interference constituted by moving the applicant from his or her existing accommodation.
106. The evaluation of the suitability of alternative accommodation will involve a consideration of, on the one hand, the particular needs of the person concerned – his or her family requirements and financial resources – and, on the other hand, the rights of the local community to environmental protection. This is a task in respect of which it is appropriate to give a wide margin of appreciation to national authorities, who are evidently better placed to make the requisite assessment.
107. The seriousness of what is at stake for this applicant is demonstrated by the facts of this case. The applicant followed an itinerant lifestyle for many years, stopping on temporary or unofficial sites. He took up residence on his own land by way of finding a long term and secure place to station his caravans. Planning permission was however refused for this and he has been required to leave. He remains on his land under threat of enforcement measures. It would appear that the applicant does not in fact wish to pursue an itinerant lifestyle. He has been resident on the site from about 1993 to the present day. Thus the present case is not concerned as such with traditional itinerant gypsy life styles.
108. It is evident that individuals affected by an enforcement notice have in principle, and this applicant had in practice, a full and fair opportunity to put before the Planning Inspector any material which he regarded as relevant to his argument and in particular his personal, financial and other circumstances, his views as to the suitability of alternative sites and the length of time needed to find a suitable alternative site.
109. The Court recalls that the applicant moved onto his land in his caravans without obtaining the prior planning permission which he knew was necessary to render that occupation lawful. In accordance with the applicable procedures, the applicant’s appeal against the enforcement notice were conducted in a public enquiry by an Inspector, who was a qualified independent expert. The Inspector saw the site himself and considered the applicant’s representations.
110. The Inspector identified the main issue of the appeal as whether the impact of the caravans on the landscape was justified by the needs of the applicant’s family as gypsies. The site, located in an open situation, was obtrusive and seriously conflicted with the applicable policies of conserving and enhancing the countryside. He identified the risk that planning permission could lead to the establishment of other sites with a very harmful effect to an attractive valley in a Special Landscape Area. Conversely, it was not unlikely that a less inappropriate place could be found by the applicant for placing his caravans. Thus, he concluded that the complete unsuitability of the site outweighed the applicant’s needs.
111. Consideration was given to the applicant’s arguments, both concerning the work that he had done on the site by painting and screening and concerning the difficulties of finding other sites in the area. However, the Inspector weighed those factors against the general interest of preserving the rural character of the countryside found that the latter prevailed.
112. It is clear from the report cited at paragraph 17 above that there were strong, environmental reasons for the refusal of planning permission and that the applicant’s interests have also been taken into account in the decision-making process. The Court notes that appeal to the High Court would have been available to the applicant if he had felt that the Ispector, or Secretary of State, had not taken into account a relevant consideration or had based the contested decision on irrelevant considerations. In the event however, the applicant declined to make such appeal.
113. The Court observes that during the planning procedures it was acknowledged that there was a shortfall of sites in the district. The Government have pointed out that official sites in the district and elsewhere in the county did exist offering alternative possibilities for stationing the applicant’s caravans and also that the applicant was free to seek sites outside the county. Notwithstanding that the statistics show that there is a shortfall of local authority sites available for gypsies in the country as a whole, it may be noted that many gypsy families still live an itinerant life without recourse to official sites and it cannot be doubted that vacancies on official sites arise periodically.
114. Moreover, given that there are many caravan sites with planning permission, whether suitable sites were available to the applicant during the long period of grace given to him was dependent upon what was required of a site to make it suitable. In this context, the cost of a site compared with the applicant’s assets, and its location compared with the applicant’s desires are clearly relevant. Since how much the applicant has by way of assets, what outgoings need to be met by him, what locational requirements are essential
for him and why they are essential are factors exclusively within the knowledge of the applicant, it is for the applicant to adduce evidence on these matters. He has not placed before the Court any information as to his financial situation, or as to the qualities a site must have before it will be locationally suitable for him, nor does the Court have any information as to the efforts he has made to find alternative sites. The Court is therefore not persuaded that there were no alternatives available to the applicant besides remaining in occupation on land without planning permission in a Special Landscape Area. As stated in the Buckley case, Article 8 does not necessarily go so far as to allow individuals’ preferences as to their place of residence to override the general interest (judgment cited above, p. 1294, § 81). If the applicant’s problem arises through lack of money, then he is in the same unfortunate position as many others who are not able to afford to continue to reside on sites or in houses attractive to them.
120. The Government, adopting the views of the majority of the Commission, submitted that a fair balance had been struck between the individual and general interest, in particular having regard to the fact that the applicant occupied his land in contravention of planning law and to the findings of the Planning Inspector concerning the detrimental impact of his occupation.
121. For the same reasons given under Article 8 of the Convention, the Court finds that any interference with the applicant’s peaceful enjoyment of his property was proportionate and struck a fair balance in compliance with the requirements of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 of the Convention. There has, accordingly been no breach of this provision.
129. Having regard to its findings above under Article 8 of the Convention that any interference with the applicant’s rights was proportionate to the legitimate aim of preservation of the environment, the Court concludes that there has been no discrimination contrary to Article 14 of the Convention. While discrimination may arise where States without an objective and reasonable justification fail to treat differently persons whose situations are significantly different (Thlimmenos v. Greece judgment of 6 April 2000, to be reported in Reports 2000-…, § 44), the Court does not find, in the circumstances of this case, any lack of objective and reasonable justification for the measures taken against this applicant.
(a) the joint dissenting opinion of Mr Pastor Ridruejo, Mr Bonello, Mrs Tulkens, Mrs Strážnická, Mr Lorenzen, Mr Fischbach and Mr Casadevall;
JOINT DISSENTING OPINION OF JUDGES PASTOR RIDRUEJO, BONELLO, TULKENS, STRÁŽNICKÁ, LORENZEN, FISCHBACH AND CASADEVALL
2. The full text of the Commission’s opinion and of the separate opinions contained in the report will be reproduced as an annex to the final printed version of the judgment (in the official reports of selected judgments and decisions of the Court), but in the meantime a copy of the Commission’s report is obtainable from the Registry.
lee v. the united kingdom judgment
lee v. the united kingdom judgment – JOINT DISSENTING OPINION