Heather Sargent > Chambers of David Holland KC and Jenny Wigley KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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180 FLEET STREET
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Heather Sargent
Position
Heather is ranked fourth in the list of top-rated junior planning barristers in the Planning Law Survey 2023 and has been listed as one of the top five juniors by the survey for the past four years. She has been ranked in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 for several years.
Her experience includes:
- Acting for Marks and Spencer on the redevelopment of its flagship Marble Arch store
- Acting for both developers and local planning authorities on numerous central London tall building schemes
- Advising the promoter of the Euston Over-Station Development
- Advising Gatwick Airport on its proposed DCO to bring its existing standby runway into routine use
- Defending two judicial review challenges to the 2019 NPPF for MHCLG
- Defending six judicial review challenges to the Airports NPS (which provides policy support for a third runway at Heathrow) for the Secretary of State for Transport
- Appearing at the London Plan examination (for the London Borough of Enfield) and for site promoters at the Guildford, Wealden, Tandridge and Welwyn Hatfield Local Plans
- Advising the acquiring authority on a CPO for a £37m road scheme (sole counsel) and acting for the acquiring authority on both the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (Calverley Square) CPO (theatre, civic centre and office scheme) and the London Borough of Enfield (Alma Estate Regeneration) CPO
- Acting for both appellants and local planning authorities on major housing schemes including Wisley Airfield, Guildford (2,000 units); Peel Hall, Warrington (1,200 units); and two sustainable urban extensions in Northampton
- Retail inquiry work (for both appellants and local planning authorities)
- Acting for retirement home providers on appeal
- High level judicial review and statutory challenge court work, including numerous appearances before the Court of Appeal as sole counsel.
Heather is a member of the Attorney General’s B Panel of Counsel and of the Welsh Government’s B Panel of Junior Counsel. She is an Assistant Editor of the Encyclopedia of Planning Law and Practice, for which she focuses on heritage matters
Languages
Fluent French, basic Welsh.
Memberships
Appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel
Appointed to the Welsh Government’s Panel of Junior Counsel
Education
Qualifications
- 2010 – 2011: Bar Professional Training Course, Kaplan Law School, London
- 2009 – 2010: Master of Philosophy in Law, University of Oxford
- 2008 – 2009: Bachelor of Civil Law, University of Oxford (Distinction)
- 2004 – 2008: BA in Jurisprudence – Law with Law Studies in Europe (French), University of Oxford
Scholarships
- 2012: Sunley Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- 2011: Sir Peter Bristow Scholarship, Middle Temple (to spend time working in the EU institutions)
- 2010: Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- 2009 – 2010: Peter Birks Memorial Scholarship, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford
- 2006: Scholarship, Hertford College, University of Oxford (for performance as an undergraduate).
Personal
Awards
- 2009: Hardwicke Entrance Award, Lincoln’s Inn
- 2009: Book Prize, Hertford College, University of Oxford (for performance on the BCL)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Environment
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Heather Sargent – Landmark Chambers ‘Heather’s ability to understand the key pertinent points within an argument is exemplary.’
Landmark Chambers is ‘a leading set on environmental matters‘ with ‘an incredibly deep bench of expertise‘. Gwion Lewis KC is representing the Environment Agency in longrunning litigation arising from its decisions to set low catch allocations for salmon fishing in the River Wye, involving claims of alleged human rights breaches. David Elvin KC is ‘a superb advocate at the top of his game‘, and James Maurici KC‘s workload includes climate change, air quality, waste and habitat and species protection issues. The ‘robust‘ Heather Sargent is sought after for her extensive experience in advising on EU environmental matters. Bolstering the team at the senior end, Alex Goodman KC was elevated to silk in March 2023.
London Bar > Planning
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Heather Sargent –Landmark Chambers ‘Heather’s advocacy is particularly impressive, as is her ability to quickly identify the key points at issue and of interest to the Judge. Heather makes her points succinctly and persuasively, and is very well attuned to the key elements of a case and how to address them on her feet.’
Landmark Chambers is a ‘go to’ set that ‘is unequalled in depth in the planning field’. The chambers has an established reputation in the development sector, while also carrying out significant work in the government and local government space. The set’s ‘enviable choice of counsel, both junior and senior’, appears in significant inquiries, promoting large urban extensions, as well as major mixed-use developments and tall buildings. Heather Sargent acted for Marks and Spencer after its application to demolish and rebuild its flagship store at Marble Arch, Oxford Street was called-in by the Secretary of State; Matthew Fraser represented the main objector, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, during the two-week public appeal. Fraser, led by David Elvin KC acting for Horse Hill Developments, was also one of several members involved in R (Finch) v Surrey County Council, a case concerning the scope of environmental impact assessments of hydrocarbon extraction projects, and its application – Richard Moules KC represented the Secretary of State in the same case Court of Appeal and led Nick Grant in the ongoing appeal in the Supreme Court. Timothy Corner KC led Guy Williams KC in Secretary of State for Transport v Curzon Park Ltd & others, representing the Secretary of State in the Supreme Court in a case concerning if CPO valuations should be increased by nearby planning applications. Tim Mould KC, as was, was appointed as a High Court Judge, effective February 2024.