Liss Gets £14,250 for Property
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THE decision of the Transport Tribunal in the case of Liss Transport. Ltd., was announced last week. The company is to receive as compensation for the acquisition of its property by the Road Haulage Executive, the sum of £14,250. The company claimed £16,500, whilst the R.H.E. offer was 11.000.
A point that arose during the proceedings was whether the R.H.E. should have assigned to it the claim of £520 made by Liss Transport. Ltd., for loss of development rights under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947. The Tribunal has resolved that this claim was not property held by the company for the purposes of its business, within the meaning of the Transport Act. It was merely a right to receive in the future an unascertainable amount of Government stock.
'The compensation was not at the date of transfer used in. or available for use in, the road haulage undertaking of the applicant company [Liss Transport, Ltd.], and when received, would not necessarily be so used. We find it
impossible, therefore. to say that on February 4. 1949 (the date of takeover], the claim was held for the purposes of the undertaking of the applicant company," states the Tribunal.
No opinion was expressed by the Tribunal upon which method of valuation used by various assessors in calculating the value of the Liss property was the more correct.
The evidence of Mr. G. A. Neill was commented upon by the Tribunal. Mr. Neill acted as valuer for the Executive and agreed with Liss Transport, Ltd.. that £14,500 for the company's property was a fair settlement. At the time of quoting this figure, Mr. Neill was probably unaware that part of the buildings on the site would have to be demolished if the road were widened. He failed, however, to convince the Tribunal that there was any justification for revising his valuation so drastically as to reduce it to £11,000 when he became aware of the circumstances.
Costs were awarded against the R.H.E.