Francis Taylor Building > London, England > Set Profile
Francis Taylor Building Offices

FRANCIS TAYLOR BUILDING, INNER TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 7BY
England
Francis Taylor Building > The Legal 500 Rankings
London Bar > Environment Tier 1
Climate change mandates have been a prominent feature of Francis Taylor Building's environmental caseload. Richard Honey KC and Conor Fegan successfully represented the defendant in R (Friends of the Earth) v UK Export Finance & Others, a case concerning the UK government’s financing of the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant in Mozambique which allegedly was in conflict with the Paris Agreement. In another matter, Merrow Golden, unled, successfully defended Mansfield District Council, meaning the proposed residential development of over two hundred new homes can go ahead, despite opposition citing alleged disturbance to local nature and wildlife sites.Rising stars
Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘James Kemp is excellent.’
‘James Kemp is extremely responsive and helpful.’
‘The set is extremely good. It has real strength-in-depth in the environmental area.’
‘The set is always able to provide advice from somebody who is experienced in any area of environmental law, however obscure.’
‘A very good environmental set.’
‘An excellent set with standout expertise in this area of law.’
‘The clerks are sound and effective.’
‘The clerks are highly regarded and extremely efficient.’
London Bar > Licensing Tier 1
Francis Taylor Building has a strong reputation for its 'unparalleled breadth of expertise across licensing law'. Gerald Gouriet KC is highly regarded for his expertise in handling high-profile cases involving gambling, taxi, entertainment and alcohol licensing issues, and David Matthias KC has an excellent track record in assisting local authorities with licensing policies. Among the junior end of chambers, the 'tenacious' Leo Charalambides is a licensing specialist; Gary Grant is 'a very well prepared and smooth advocate'; and James Rankin is 'a superb junior - he is always a master of the brief, exceedingly well prepared and eloquent in court'.Leading Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Harry Killick is always accessible, friendly and super efficient.’
‘A very professional set.’
‘Great depth and breadth of knowledge and experience.’
‘Very professional, approachable and helpful.’
‘Very effective clerks. Always quick to respond to queries.’
‘Responsive, efficient and flexible clerks.’
London Bar > Agriculture Tier 2
Members of Francis Taylor Building's agriculture and rural affairs practice are regularly instructed in cases involving common land, village and town greens, rights of way and highways. The team's client base includes public authorities, landowners, private individuals and government entities. Douglas Edwards KC has a strong track record in handling applications brought under the Commons Act 2006, and Morag Ellis KC has expertise in assisting with village green inquiries. Ned Westaway stands out for the 'strength and clarity of his arguments and advocacy'.Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Everyone, from the clerks to the reception staff, is friendly and approachable.’
‘The clerks are visible, personable and will engage proactively with instructing solicitors.’
‘Fantastic – very efficient and friendly.’
London Bar > Local government (including rating law) Tier 2
Francis Taylor Building contains ‘some of the brightest and best barristers in this field’, routinely acting in local government and ratings matters. Richard Glover KC led Cain Ormondroyd in Church of Scientology Religious Education College Inc v Ricketts (VO), a complex appeal in the Upper Tribunal regarding the application of religious rate-exemptions for the Scientology movement's London sites. Richard Honey KC represented JD Wetherspoon as sole counsel in a settled claim between JD Wetherspoon and Birmingham City Council over compensation for the compulsory acquisition of one of the pub chain's leaseholds. Hugh Flanagan acted in the test case of Vistra International v Bunyan (VO), a dispute regarding whether Covid-19-related factors affected liability for business rates.Leading Silks
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘The clerking at Francis Taylor Building is the best of any chambers.’
‘The clerks are organised and courteous.’
‘The clerks are great – the best around.’
‘One of the leading local government sets with experience across the board in local government law.’
‘Specialists in this area of law, providing useful training courses.’
‘A fantastic set to work with.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Planning Tier 2
As ‘one of the leading barristers sets for planning‘, Francis Taylor Building provides a full spectrum planning practice. The chambers has an established and ‘deserved strong reputation‘ as an infrastructure set but has also seen a recent increase in residential schemes, from planning appeal inquiries to strategic advice to developers. A number of members have been instructed on the Sizewell C nuclear power station; Hereward Phillpot KC led for NNB Generation Company (SZC) Limited, a subsidiary of EDF; Andrew Tait KC is acting for the local planning authority, East Suffolk Council, in the ongoing hearings; and Hugh Flanagan is acting for EDF Energy on its application for development consent and appeared in the High Court. Members of chambers are involved in the litigation concerning the proposal to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre over part of Victoria Tower Gardens; Meyric Lewis KC represented opponents London Gardens Trust and Save Victoria Tower Gardens, and Kate Olley acted for the Secretary of State and the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. Richard Honey KC led the team of counsel on Friends of the Earth & South Lakeland Action on Climate Change v SSLUHC, defending two judicial reviews of the government’s approval of the Whitehaven coal mine. Simon Bird KC led Flanagan in Aquind Ltd v SSBEIS, appearing for the claimant after the Secretary of State refused a DCO for the proposed 2GW Aquind electricity interconnector between Le Havre and Portsmouth.Rising stars
Leading Silks
2022 Silks
2023 Silks
Leading Juniors
Testimonials
‘Clerks are very approachable and helpful. Great client service and knowledge of the sector from Paul Coveney and James Kemp in particular.’
‘James Kemp is excellent as deputy senior clerk.’
‘The clerks team is very strong, and the set are always a pleasure to deal with. In particular they are very good at liaising with the courts and other sets to help get hearings listed etc. My dealings are mostly with Andrew Briton but special mentions also for James Kemp and Harry Killick.’
‘I mainly deal with Harry Killick and Grant James, and they are a delight to work with: helpful and responsive.’
‘The clerks are all brilliant and very personable. We have been dealing most recently with Molly Dumbelton, who is responsive and helpful. I have always had positive experiences with Andrew Briton and Paul Coveney.’
‘FTB is one of the leading barristers sets for planning; and the first port of call for all major planning infrastructure work.’
‘Chambers is full of excellent barristers and has a deserved strong reputation in the planning world.’
‘First class for infrastructure planning. Very good quality training. Consistently high-quality individuals.’
Work highlights
London Bar > Administrative law and human rights
Rising stars
Leading Silks
Francis Taylor Building > Set Profile
Francis Taylor Building (FTB) has a long-standing reputation for excellence in providing advocacy and advisory services. FTB is consistently featured as a leading set in the independent legal directories for its expertise and leading role in planning, environmental, licensing, public, compulsory purchase and land valuation, major infrastructure projects, local government, rating, ecclesiastical and religious liberty, highways, commons and open spaces and ADR. Its position at the forefront of these areas of law is evidenced by members consistently appearing in many of the leading cases.
Members of chambers appear in courts at all levels in this country and abroad, including specialist tribunals and public inquiries and undertake specialist advisory work. The set owes its long-standing reputation for excellence to its wide range of clients, the major projects it handles and the number and quality of its practitioners. They are also supported by a highly motivated and professional team of clerks, led by Paul Coveney as Senior Clerk.
FTB maintains a panel of qualified and specialist CEDR and ADR accredited mediators.
FTB offers a wide range of client facilities including a dedicated seminar suite to support its established programme of events and an arbitration and mediation suite which complements chambers’ mediation and ADR expertise. The premises are fully DDA compliant.
Diversity and inclusion: Chambers is committed to promoting and advancing diversity and equality among its members and staff. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, political persuasion, disability, age or religion. FTB is anti-racist and committed to increasing its diversity. We fully endorse the Bar Council’s Equality and Diversity Code. Applications for pupillage/tenancy/employment are particularly welcomed from women, members of ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and other groups that are currently under-represented in chambers.
Access to the profession is an acute issue which chambers seeks to address. Chambers is involved in initiatives aimed at increasing diversity. That includes its partnership with the Planning and Environment Bar Association (PEBA) and other planning/public law sets in the Planning and Public Law Mentoring Scheme for Underrepresented Groups at the Bar. Further information about our work can be found on chambers’ website.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
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Members of Chambers | BIRD KC, Simon (1987) | ||
Members of Chambers | ROOTS KC, Guy (1969) | ||
Members of Chambers | McCRACKEN KC, Robert (1973) | ||
Members of Chambers | TAIT KC, Andrew (1981) | ||
Members of Chambers | HUMPHRIES KC, Michael (1982) | ||
Members of Chambers | GOURIET KC, Gerald (1974) | ||
Members of Chambers | MATTHIAS KC, David (1980) | ||
Members of Chambers | ELLIS KC, Morag (1984) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOWELL WILLIAMS KC, Craig (1983) | ||
Members of Chambers | GLOVER KC, Richard (1984) | ||
Members of Chambers | HILL KC, Mark (1987) (KC-2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | EDWARDS KC, Douglas (1992) | ||
Members of Chambers | JONES KC, Gregory (1991) | ||
Members of Chambers | ORNSBY KC, Suzanne (1986) | ||
Members of Chambers | PEREIRA KC, James (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | KABIR SHEIKH KC, Saira (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | FRASER-URQUHART KC, Andrew (1993) | ||
Members of Chambers | PHILLPOT KC, Hereward (1997) | ||
Members of Chambers | BOOTH KC, Alexander (2000) | ||
Members of Chambers | PHILLIPS KC, Jeremy (2018) | ||
Members of Chambers | HONEY KC, Richard (2020) | ||
Members of Chambers | MURPHY KC, Melissa KC (2022)(2001) | ||
Members of Chambers | LEWIS KC, Meyric (2023) (1986) | ||
Members of Chambers | PETCHEY, Philip (1976) | ||
Members of Chambers | COMYN, Timothy (1980) | ||
Members of Chambers | RANKIN, James (1983) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRANT, Gary (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | HOLLAND, Charles (1994) | ||
Members of Chambers | CHARALAMBIDES, Leo (1998) | ||
Members of Chambers | JONES, Emyr (1999) | ||
Members of Chambers | OLLEY, Kate (1999) | ||
Members of Chambers | JOLLIFFE, John (2005) | ||
Members of Chambers | WESTMORELAND SMITH, Mark (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | ELEFTHERIADIS, Prof. Pavlos (2006) | ||
Members of Chambers | ORMONDROYD, Cain (2007) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRAHAM PAUL, Annabel (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | FLANAGAN, Hugh (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | CLUTTEN, Rebecca (2008) | ||
Members of Chambers | WESTAWAY, Ned (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | TAFUR, Isabella (2009) | ||
Members of Chambers | GRAHAM, David (2010) | ||
Members of Chambers | FRY, Michael (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | MACKENZIE, George (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | ANTHONY, Prof. Gordon (2011) | ||
Members of Chambers | GREAVES, Alexander (2012) | ||
Members of Chambers | DALY, Caroline (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | STREETEN, Charles (2013) | ||
Members of Chambers | FORREST, Charles (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | GOLDEN, Merrow (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | WALLER, Horatio (2014) | ||
Members of Chambers | NOBLE, Daisy (2015) | ||
Members of Chambers | MERRETT, Charles (2015) | ||
Members of Chambers | DRABKIN-REITER, Esther (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | BRETT, Brendan (2017) | ||
Members of Chambers | FEGAN, Conor (2018) | ||
Members of Chambers | WELCH, Jonathan (2019) | ||
Members of Chambers | RHIMES, Michael (2019) | ||
Members of Chambers | CURTIS, Flora (2019) | ||
Members of Chambers | O'BRIEN O'REILLY, Mark (2021) | ||
Members of Chambers | FEENEY, Michael (2021) | ||
Members of Chambers | BRUCE-SMITH, Stephanie (2021) | ||
Members of Chambers | NEVIN, Claire (2021) |
Barrister Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Prof Gordon Anthony | Professor Gordon Anthony is an Academic Tenant at Francis Taylor Building. He… | View Profile |
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Simon Bird | Simon is Head of Chambers. Simon specialises in planning, local government, administrative… | View Profile |
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Alexander Booth | Alexander Booth KC has a practice which encompasses all aspects of planning,… | View Profile |
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Michael Brendan Brett | Brendan is an established public and administrative law junior specialising in the… | View Profile |
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Leo Charalambides | Leo is an expert local government barrister who is regularly instructed to… | View Profile |
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Rebecca Clutten | Rebecca Clutten was called to the Bar in 2008 and is recognised… | View Profile |
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Timothy Comyn | The principal areas of Timothy Comyn’s practice include town and country planning,… | View Profile |
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Flora Curtis | Flora is ranked as one of the top planning barristers under the… | View Profile |
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Caroline Daly | Caroline was called to the Bar in 2013 and is currently ranked… | View Profile |
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Esther Drabkin-Reiter | Esther has a busy practice across all of Chambers’ areas of specialism.… | View Profile |
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Douglas Edwards | Douglas Edwards KC practices in the fields of town and country planning,… | View Profile |
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Prof Pavlos Eleftheriadis | Pavlos is an academic tenant specialising in European Union law, public law, public… | View Profile |
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Morag Ellis | Morag Ellis KC is widely recognised as a leading expert in planning… | View Profile |
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Michael Feeney | Michael was called to the Bar in 2021 and completed pupillage under… | View Profile |
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Conor Fegan | Conor accepts instructions across Chambers’ specialisms in planning, environmental and public law.… | View Profile |
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Hugh Flanagan | Hugh specialises in planning and public law, with a focus on infrastructure,… | View Profile |
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Charles Forrest | Charles welcomes instructions to advise and represent clients across all of Chambers’… | View Profile |
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Andrew Fraser-urquhart | Andrew Fraser-Urquhart KC (known universally as “AFU”) practices in planning, environmental and… | View Profile |
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Michael Fry | Michael Fry is an administrative and public law barrister with a strong… | View Profile |
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Richard Glover | Richard Glover KC practices in town and country planning, local government, rating,… | View Profile |
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Merrow Golden | Merrow is ranked by Legal 500 as a leading junior at the… | View Profile |
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Gerald Gouriet | Gerald’s practice embraces the full range of licensing regulation, with recent emphasis… | View Profile |
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David Graham | David practises across Chambers’ specialisms, including public, planning and environmental law. He… | View Profile |
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Annabel Graham Paul | Annabel is a front-rank junior in planning law. She has acted in… | View Profile |
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Gary Grant | Gary Grant is one of the UK’s leading licensing barristers. He is… | View Profile |
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Alexander Greaves | Since joining Chambers in 2014, Alexander has developed a busy specialist practice… | View Profile |
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Mark Hill | Mark Hill KC is recognized as pre-eminent in the field of ecclesiastical… | View Profile |
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Charles Holland | Charles Holland’s practice combines licensing work and a broad range of contentious… | View Profile |
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Richard Honey | Richard Honey KC practises as a barrister in the fields of public… | View Profile |
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Craig Howell Williams | Craig Howell Williams KC specialises in planning, environment and related areas of… | View Profile |
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Michael Humphries | Michael Humphries specialises in all aspects of property development law, but is… | View Profile |
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John Jolliffe | John Jolliffe practises across a range of environmental, planning and public law.… | View Profile |
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Emyr Jones | Emyr was called in 1999 and practised in Cardiff until joining FTB… | View Profile |
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Gregory Jones | Gregory’s practice covers all aspects of administrative law including judicial review and… | View Profile |
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Saira Kabir Sheikh | Saira’s practice covers all aspects of planning and environmental law, local government,… | View Profile |
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Meyric Lewis KC | Meyric was described by The Lawyer as “standing out” for his expertise… | View Profile |
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George Mackenzie | George welcomes instructions to act individually or as a junior across all… | View Profile |
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David Matthias | David Matthias K.C. was called in 1980 and took Silk in October… | View Profile |
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Robert Mccracken | Robert McCracken KC is a leading public, planning and environmental lawyer. He… | View Profile |
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Charles Merrett | Charles’ practice spans all areas of Chambers’ planning work. He acts for… | View Profile |
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Melissa Murphy | Melissa is a sought after planning silk, whose busy practice consists of… | View Profile |
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Daisy Noble | Daisy has been a member of Chambers since October 2018 and welcomes… | View Profile |
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Mark O'Brien O'Reilly | Mark was called to the Bar in 2021 and completed pupillage under… | View Profile |
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Kate Olley | Kate is an established and highly experienced planning and public law practitioner.… | View Profile |
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Cain Ormondroyd | Cain Ormondroyd practices in the fields of public and planning law, with… | View Profile |
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Suzanne Ornsby | Suzanne Ornsby KC specialises in planning law and has spent most of… | View Profile |
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James Pereira | James Pereira K.C. specialises in planning, environmental, local government and administrative law,… | View Profile |
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Philip Petchey | Philip Petchey enjoys unravelling what is complicated, obscure or dense (or all… | View Profile |
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Jeremy Phillips | Jeremy Phillips KC offers the highest levels of expertise and advocacy as… | View Profile |
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Hereward Phillpot | Hereward Phillpot KC took silk in 2015, and has rapidly become recognised… | View Profile |
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James Rankin | With over thirty years’ experience in licensing and regulatory work, preeminent licensing… | View Profile |
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Michael Rhimes | Michael has a developing practice in all areas of Chambers’ expertise. He… | View Profile |
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Michael Rhimes | Michael has a developing practice in all areas of Chambers’ expertise. He… | View Profile |
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Guy Roots | Guy Roots KC is an Associate Member of Chambers and is available… | View Profile |
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Charles Streeten | Charles Streeten has rapidly earned a reputation as one of the leading… | View Profile |
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Isabella Tafur | Isabella is a leading junior at the Planning Bar, described in the… | View Profile |
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Andrew Tait | Andrew Tait KC’s areas of work are in planning, environmental, administrative and… | View Profile |
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Horatio Waller | Horatio specialises in planning, infrastructure, licensing, judicial review, education, landlord & tenant,… | View Profile |
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Jonathan Welch | Jonathan is ranked as one of the top planning barristers under the… | View Profile |
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Ned Westaway | Ned is a highly regarded junior who accepts instructions in a wide… | View Profile |
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Mark Westmoreland Smith | Mark’s practice covers all aspects of chamber’s expertise and, in particular, planning… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Paul Coveney, Senior Clerk : Clerk James Kemp, Deputy Senior Clerk, Team Leader : Clerk Harry Killick, Deputy Senior Clerk, Team Leader : Clerk Andrew Briton, Principal Clerk Business Development and Research : Clerk Molly Dumbelton, Deputy Team Leader : Clerk Grant James, Deputy Team Leader : Clerk Luke Holland, Team Assistant : Clerk Kia Liddell, Team Assistant : Clerk Ellie Furnival, Junior Clerk : Clerk Chris Constantinou, Junior Clerk : Clerk Vicki Cousins, Chambers' Manager : Administrative Staff Deirdre Mahon, Marketing Manager : Administrative Staff Paris Osborn, Marketing and Clerking Team Assistant : Administrative Staff Jackie Clark, Receptionist : Administrative StaffLanguages
English- Environment
- Licensing
Top Tier Set Rankings
- Agriculture
- Local government (including rating law)
- Planning