Public Inquiries as an Instrument of Government

To the unfortunate citizen threatened by the demolition of his house to make way for a new road, or by the shattering of his peace through the building of a new airport, the public inquiry can provide a last hope of reprieve. It may also be called into play in less dramatic circumstances, when the local council declines to approve the building of a garage or when a property owner wishes to divide up his house into flats or bed-sitting rooms. Originally published in 1971, the nature and operation of these and similar inquiries are analysed in detail in this latest authoritative study undertaken by the Royal Institute of Public Administration. Land use inquiries at the time, although foreshadowed in the early…