“THE Purchaser for himself and his successors in title (but not so as to bind himself personally after he shall have parted with all interest in the land hereby transferred) hereby covenants with the Vendor and his successors in title for the benefit of the Vendor’s adjoining and neighbouring land in Peplins Way Brookmans Park aforesaid and all and every part thereof being the remainder of the land comprised in the above mentioned title to observe and perform the restrictive covenants set out in the Third Schedule hereto AND the Purchaser hereby covenants with the Vendor but by way of indemnity only hence forth to observe and perform the restrictive covenants specified or referred to in the charges register of the above mentioned title so far as they affect the land hereby transferred and to keep the Vendor and his estate and effects indemnified against all actions costs claims and demands in respect thereof … THE THIRD SCHEDULE above referred to … (c) Not more than one dwellinghouse and garage shall be built on the land hereby transferred” 3. The land which formed title number HD11303 had been acquired by Mr Sawyer from a Mrs White and others by a transfer dated25 May 1954 (“the 1954 transfer”). By that transfer: “THE PURCHASER for himself and his successors in title (but not so as to bind himself personally after he shall have parted with all interest in the land hereby transferred) hereby covenants with the Vendor and his successors in title for the benefit of the Vendor’s adjoining and neighbouring land in Brookmans Park aforesaid and all and every part thereof (being the remainder of the land comprised in the above mentioned title) to observe and perform the restrictive covenants set out in the Third Schedule hereto … THE THIRD SCHEDULE above referred to … (3) Not more than fifty-two houses may be constructed on the said property…”
“Schemes of development are designed to avoid these problems and difficulties of enforcement. Where a scheme exists, all owners of plots within the scheme can enforce and be enforced against, irrespective of the order in which the common vendor sold those plots and irrespective of the formalities regarding annexation and assignment of the benefit of covenants.” 17. However, Mr Bruce submitted, such schemes were rare. He referred to Elliston v Reacher[1908] 2 CH 374 where Parker J, at 384, identified four matters that were required to prove that a scheme was established: “(1) Both the claimant and the defendant derive title from a common vendor. (2) Prior to selling the land to which the claimant and the defendant are entitled, the common vendor laid out the estate for sale in lots, subject to restrictions intended to be imposed on all the lots. Those restrictions, although they may vary in details as to particular lots, are consistent and consistent only with a scheme of development. (3) The restrictions are intended by the common vendor to be and are for the benefit of all the lots intended to be sold, whether or not they are also intended to be and are for the benefit of other land retained by the common vendor. (4) Both the claimant and defendant (or their predecessors in title) purchased their lots from the common vendor on the footing that the restrictions subject to which the purchases were made were to enure for the benefit of the other lots included in the general scheme; whether or not they were to enure for the benefit of other lands retained by the vendor.”
“It is trite law that if you have conveyances of the several parts of an estate all containing the same or similar restrictive covenants with the vendor, that is not enough to impute an intention on the part of that vendor that the restrictions should be for the common benefit of the vendor and of the several purchasers inter se: for it is at least as likely that he imposed them for the benefit of himself and of the unsold part of the estate alone.”
“There can be no building scheme unless … the nature and particulars of the scheme shall be sufficiently disclosed for the purchaser to have been informed that his restrictive covenants are imposed upon him for the benefit of other purchasers of plots within that defined estate with the reciprocal advantage that he shall as against such other purchaser be entitled to the benefit of such restrictive covenants as are in turn to be imposed upon them.”
“84-(1) The Lands Tribunal shall (without prejudice to any concurrent jurisdiction of the court) have power from time to time, on the application of any person interested in any freehold land affected by any restriction arising under covenant or otherwise as to the user thereof or the building thereon, by order wholly or partially to discharge or modify any such restriction on being satisfied - (aa) that (in a case falling within subsection (1A) below) the continued existence [of the covenant] would impede some reasonable user of the land for public or private purposes or, as the case may be, would unless modified impede such user; (c) that the proposed discharge or modification will not injure the persons entitled to the benefit of the restriction.”
“9.1 The proposed development is considered to be an acceptable form of development which would not harm the existing character and context of the area. The plot size is not dissimilar to others in the area and the development would not result in a cramped site which appears overdeveloped. The design of the proposed materials and design of the dwelling would also draw from the character of the dwellings in Peplins Way. 9.2 No objections have been raised by Highways in regards to the use of the shared cross-over onto Peplins Way and so the proposed access arrangements are considered to be acceptable. The proposed development would meet the council’s requirements for parking. 9.3 It is considered that there would be no detrimental impact to the amenity of the neighbouring properties. 9.4 Although this site is impacted by the close proximity from the adjoining railway line, the applicant has adequately demonstrated the dwelling has been designed to overcome this issue and no objections have been raised by the Council’s Environmental Health Department.”
“In my view, account must be taken of the policy behind para (aa) in the amended statute. The general purpose is to facilitate the development and use of the land in the public interest, having regard to the development plan and the pattern of permissions in the area. The section seeks to provide a fair balance between the needs of redevelopment in the area, public and private, and the protection of private contractual rights. ‘Reasonable user’ in this context seems to me to refer naturally to a long term use of land, rather than the process of transition to such use. The primary consideration, therefore, is the value of the covenant in providing protection from the effects of the ultimate use, rather than from the short-term disturbance which is inherent in any short term construction project. There may, however, be something in the form of the particular covenant, or in the facts of the particular case, which justifies giving special weight to this factor.” 43. The usual approach to applications based upon section 84(1)(aa), Mr Bruce said, was to consider the 7 questions referred to in Re Bass’s Application(1973) 26 P & CR 156 : 1. Is the proposed user reasonable? 2. Do the covenants impede that user? 3. Does impeding the proposed use secure to the objectors practical benefits? 4. If so, are those benefits of substantial value or advantage? 5. Is impeding the proposed user contrary to the public interest? 6. If the answer to (4) is no, would money be adequate compensation? 7. If the answer to (5) is yes, would money be adequate compensation. There could be no doubt that the proposed use, as a residential dwelling house, is reasonable. Although it was acknowledged that the application is for the removal of a legal right and is governed by an entirely different jurisdiction to that under which planning applications are determined, it was stated in Re Bass that “planning permissions are very persuasive in this connection.”