IT'S TIME TO CHOP SUI, BRIGG BLOG SUGGESTS

We went to Brigg Grammar School in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Latin was still taught. However, it was only for the brightest boys. You can guess where that left us!
Browsing and scrutinising North Lincolnshire Council's huge output of data, proposals, consultations and decisions is part of Brigg Blog's daily grind.
We have been left wishing we'd made the top set all those years ago at BGS. For in recent months we have spotted references to sui generis on some of the planning applications. Here's an example.
What does this term mean? In the end we had to look it up. Sui generis is a Latin phrase meaning "of its own kind; in a class by itself; unique."
The Planning Portal, which delivers information about applications across the UK, explains that certain building uses do not fall within any defined planning class and are therefore considered sui generis.
Examples include betting offices/shops, pay day loan shops, theatres, larger houses in multiple occupation,  scrapyards and  casinos. There are a good many others.
The appearance of sui generis is pretty recent in our area.
Do you remember the Plain English Campaign? Government departments, councils, banks and other businesses being asked to keep things simple so the ordinary man in the street can understand what's going on. 
Surely sui generis could be changed to 'Unclassified' or even 'Undefined Use.'
English being the world's third most used language behind Chinese and Spanish, do the planning people really have to resort to obscure Latin in 2016?
Here's a fascinating article about Latin, showing that fewer and fewer people are fluent in the language.