United Kingdom > London Bar > Planning
Index of tables
Planning – Leading Sets
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Garden Court Chambers - No5 Chambers (Paul Bleasdale QC)
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Planning – Leading Silks
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- Timothy Corner QC* - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- *Now at Landmark Chambers
- Ian Dove QC - No5 Chambers
- Morag Ellis QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- David Elvin QC - Landmark Chambers
- Charles George QC - FTB
- William Hicks QC - Landmark Chambers
- David Holgate QC - Landmark Chambers
- Michael Humphries QC - FTB
- Neil King QC - Landmark Chambers
- Rhodri Price Lewis QC - Landmark Chambers
- Nathalie Lieven QC - Landmark Chambers
- Christopher Lockhart-Mummery QC - Landmark Chambers
- Mark Lowe QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- Richard Phillips QC - FTB
- Timothy Straker QC - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Peter Village QC* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
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- Brian Ash QC* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Patrick Clarkson QC - Landmark Chambers
- Anthony Dinkin QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- Richard Drabble QC - Landmark Chambers
- James Findlay QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- John Hobson QC* - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square *now at Landmark Chambers
- Matthew Horton QC - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Martin Kingston QC - No5 Chambers
- Anthony Porten QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- Guy Roots QC - FTB
- John Steel QC* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Andrew Tait QC - FTB
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- Michael Barnes QC - Wilberforce Chambers
- Simon Bird QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- Paul Brown QC* - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- *Now at Landmark Chambers
- Neil Cameron QC - Landmark Chambers
- Robert Griffiths QC - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Thomas Hill QC* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- John Howell QC - Blackstone Chambers
- Richard Humphreys QC - FTB
- Jonathan Karas QC - Wilberforce Chambers
- Philip Kolvin QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- John Litton QC - Landmark Chambers
- Roy Martin QC - Landmark Chambers
- Robert McCracken QC - FTB
- Tim Mould QC - Landmark Chambers
- Gordon Nardell QC - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Clive Newberry QC - FTB
- Andrew Newcombe QC - FTB
- Stephen Sauvain QC - Cornerstone Barristers
- Craig Howell Williams QC - FTB
Planning – New Silks
Planning – Leading Juniors
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- Christopher Boyle - Landmark Chambers
- David Forsdick - Landmark Chambers
- Richard Harwood - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Dan Kolinsky - Landmark Chambers
- Scott Lyness - Landmark Chambers
- Stephen Morgan - Landmark Chambers
- Matthew Reed - Landmark Chambers
- Jeremy Phillips - FTB
- James Strachan* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
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- Michael Bedford - Cornerstone Barristers
- Alexander Booth - FTB
- Celina Colquhoun - No5 Chambers
- Timothy Comyn - FTB
- Michael Druce - Cornerstone Barristers
- Robert Fookes - FTB
- Andrew Fraser-Urquhart - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Robin Green - Cornerstone Barristers
- Richard Ground - Cornerstone Barristers
- Richard Honey - FTB
- Juan Lopez - FTB
- Jonathan Milner - FTB
- Melissa Murphy - Cornerstone Barristers
- John Pugh-Smith - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Asitha Ranatunga - Cornerstone Barristers
- Saira Kabir Sheikh - FTB
- Andrew Tabachnik* (*now at Thirty Nine Essex Street) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Reuben Taylor - Landmark Chambers
- Megan Thomas - Cornerstone Barristers
- Adrian Trevelyan Thomas - Cornerstone Barristers
- Richard Wald - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Robert White - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Sasha White - Landmark Chambers
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- Ian Albutt - Cornerstone Barristers
- Charles Banner - Landmark Chambers
- Johanna Boyd - Cornerstone Barristers
- Lisa Busch*(*now at Landmark Chambers) - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Josef Cannon - Cornerstone Barristers
- Jonathan Clay - Cornerstone Barristers
- Thomas Cosgrove - Cornerstone Barristers
- Martin Edwards - Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Alexander Goodman* - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square *now at Landmark Chambers
- Meyric Lewis - FTB
- Charles Mynors - FTB
- Robert Palmer - Monckton Chambers
- Philip Petchey - FTB
- Paul Shadarevian - Cornerstone Barristers
- David Smith - Landmark Chambers
- Graham Stoker - Cornerstone Barristers
- Robert Walton - Landmark Chambers
- Stephen Whale* - 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square *now at Landmark Chambers
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Marc Willers -
Garden Court Chambers - Guy Williams - Landmark Chambers
- Christiaan Zwart - Thirty Nine Essex Street
‘A leading set for planning and public law’, Landmark Chambers’ team is led by Neil King QC, who ‘advises with a great combination of wisdom and panache’. Christopher Katkowski QC is ‘the country’s leading planning barrister’, and has ‘an ability to distil complex legal points and communicate them well’. Rhodri Price Lewis QC has ‘the ability to identify the important commercial issues’ and ‘will not pursue legal points for their own sake’. David Elvin QC has ‘an extensive knowledge of planning, environment, CPO and procurement law’, and Nathalie Lieven QC impresses with her ‘intellect and determination’. James Maurici goes ‘the extra mile for clients’ and recently acted as lead counsel for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in two Supreme Court cases. Fellow junior Matthew Reed’s knowledge of planning law is ‘second to none’, and he is also noted for his ‘thorough and efficient’ handling of cases. ‘A star of the future’, Scott Lyness is ‘one of the leading juniors at the planning Bar’ and impresses with his ‘power of analysis and level-headedness’.
FTB’s clerks are ‘very helpful’ and ‘open to sensible, mature discussions on all matters’. Robin Purchas QC offers ‘clearly articulated and commercial advice’ that is ‘of the highest quality’. Richard Phillips QC’s ‘exceptional knowledge in the waste field’ and ability ‘to master a brief in minute detail’ make him ‘the person to instruct on waste projects’. ‘Top London silk’ Michael Humphries QC is ‘well versed in direct consent orders and other forms of the consent process’. Leading junior James Pereira is ‘in constant demand’ for his ‘knowledge of all fields of planning law’, and impresses with his ‘diligence, legal strategy and advocacy’. The ‘thorough’ and ‘focused’ Hereward Phillpot has ‘an authoritative, yet collaborative style’ and ‘a clear approach to legal, evidential and policy issues’.
Cornerstone Barristers is ‘a great set for planning and public law’ where Morag Ellis QC is rated very highly for her ‘excellent approach to conducting inquiries’. Philip Kolvin QC’s planning work mainly focuses on wind farms; and Simon Bird QC, who ‘delivers his arguments with clarity and gravitas’, acted on the opposition to Shepperton Pinewood’s proposals to build on Green Belt land. The ‘exceptionally hardworking’ Richard Ground is ‘an up-and-coming senior junior’.
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has the ‘very commercially astute and user-friendly’ Robert Griffiths QC, whose work included the successful promotion of South Downs to national park status in 2011. Peter Village QC* is ‘a highly skilled advocate’ who ‘quickly identifies the relevant issues’ and ‘works well within a team’. Thomas Hill QC* is ‘trusted on all planning matters’ and is recommended for his ‘success rate and good humour’. The ‘phenomenally busy’ James Strachan* has ‘a sharp intellect’. *Peter Village QC, Thomas Hill QC and James Strachan are now at Thirty Nine Essex Street.
Clients highlight the ‘helpful’, ‘friendly’ and ‘efficient’ clerking at Thirty Nine Essex Street. Matthew Horton QC is recommended for his ‘advocacy skills, particularly at planning inquiries’; Richard Wald gives excellent advice and ‘adds considerably to cross-examination and pre-inquiry debate’; and Richard Harwood provides clients with an ‘assuredly rational approach’. The ‘very capable and thorough’ Christiaan Zwart acted for the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust in successfully objecting to a mansion development.
6 Pump Court provides ‘good value for money’ and ‘its clerks are a dream to work with’. Megan Thomas recently acted for London Borough of Camden in a judicial review, and for Sedgemoor District Council in an injunction to remove a gypsy caravan site in Somerset after an enforcement notice was not abided by. William Upton is ‘skilful’, ‘bright’ and ‘very good with clients’.
Garden Court Chambers covers all aspects of planning law, but specialises in representing Gypsies and Travellers seeking planning permission for caravan sites, as well as defending them in planning enforcement actions. It has been heavily involved in the various cases arising from the highly publicised Dale Farm eviction, with Marc Willers representing the occupants in the judicial review of Basildon Council’s decision to clear the farm.
No5 Chambers’ planning team includes the ‘extremely commercial and solutions-driven’ Martin Kingston QC, who is ‘a classy advocate and a brilliant tactician’. Ian Dove QC acted for Staffordshire County Council in a Court of Appeal case involving the striking out of proceedings relating to recovery of costs after enforcement. Celina Colquhoun is rated for her excellent advocacy skills and ‘approachable nature’.
Wilberforce Chambers’ Jonathan Karas QC acted for Lord Derby in a large planning inquiry concerning a proposal for 1,200 new houses. He is ‘a phenomenal litigator’ and ‘very persuasive court presence’, and is particularly recommended for cases where property and planning overlap. The ‘very driven’ Michael Barnes QC ‘offers clear strategic advice’, and acted for Crossrail in a compulsory purchase order compensation claim.