Public Interest and Private Interests in Planning

The planning system operates in the public interest of local communities and the region as a whole, and encompasses the present as well as future needs of society. It does not exist to protect the private interests of one person against the activities of another, although private interests may coincide with the public interest in some cases. It can be difficult to distinguish between public and private interests, but this may be necessary on occasion. The basic question is not whether owners and occupiers of neighbouring properties would experience financial or other loss from a particular development, but whether the proposal would unacceptably affect amenities and the existing use of land and buildings that ought to be protected in the public interest. Good neighbourliness and fairness are among the yardsticks against which development proposals will be measured.