HC Deb 02 March 1981 vol 1000 c52W
Mr. Haselhurst

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will introduce safeguards to ensure that, in the holding of public inquiries, objectors cannot have their resources exhausted by applicants for planning permission returning continually to the same site.

Mr. Giles Shaw

There is already the safeguard that applicants who make repeated proposals in this way are liable to have to meet an award of costs in favour of another principal party if they are considered to have behaved unreasonably. This is in accord with the policy established following the Council on Tribunals' report on the award of costs at statutory inquiries, 1964.