Francis Taylor Building

Claire is a sought-after barrister with a growing reputation as an experienced and skilful advocate who is equally at home as sole or junior counsel in the Magistrates’ Courts, Crown Court and High Court. Claire regularly acts unled in planning inquiries and at this stage of her career, has already acted as sole counsel in several high profile, complex and lengthy inquiries.

She is frequently asked to advise on planning and environmental issues and is quickly gaining a reputation for expertise in the fields of water law, pollution, contaminated land and chemicals law. A local authority officer for whom Claire provided an opinion on a developer’s s.73 and s.96A applications described her work as “one of the best opinions I have read in a long time. Clear, precise and to the point”. Clients have also praised her for having a “fine legal mind” and being “streets ahead of her years of call” (in the context of a planning judicial review). Before coming to the Bar, Claire had a previous career which led her to work for the European Union, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations and the Council of Europe. This has given her particular expertise of international and EU-related planning and environmental matters.

Claire regularly appears led and unled at planning and enforcement inquiries covering a broad range of developments and issues. She is quickly gaining a reputation as an experienced and proficient inquiry advocate. Recent examples include:

• Representing a Rule 6 Party in a four-week planning inquiry into a £750 million film studio proposal in Marlow. The inquiry followed deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s decision to call in the rejected planning application and attracted a wide range of national and international media coverage.
• Acting for the successful Rule 6 Party, Park Road Allotment Association in a high-profile five-day planning inquiry challenging the Duke of Northumberland’s proposal for a housing development on designated Local Open Space to cross-subsidise renovations to Grade I listed, Syon House. The inquiry compassed issues such as designated Local Open Space, a Grade I listed heritage asset, ecology and the provision of affordable and market housing.
• Acting in several gypsy and traveller enforcement inquiries. On one occasion where she acted as sole counsel for a Rule 6 Party in a three-day planning enforcement inquiry, Claire secured a costs award against the appellant.
• Representing South Gloucestershire Council as junior counsel to Suzanne Ornsby KC in a two-week planning inquiry concerning a proposed residential development.

In addition to inquiry work, Claire has a busy and broad planning practice. Claire has appeared in the High Court as junior counsel to Douglas Edwards KC in a judicial review concerning a retail development and as sole counsel for a local authority defending a claim in judicial review involving agricultural permitted development rights. She regularly advises on s.73 and s.96A applications, compulsory purchase matters and major infrastructure projects.

Claire is particularly interested in planning issues with a heritage element and has gained experience in this area through cases involving renowned heritage sites such as Bevis Marks Synagogue and Syon House.

Claire has a strong environmental law practice with particular expertise in environmental assessments, water law and chemicals. Her environmental work has covered a broad range of issues including chemical pollution, contaminated land, a gold mine, a proposed oil terminal, harbour revision orders, flood defence works and a water company’s obligations under the EIA regime. Recent work includes:

• Representing the environmental NGO, Thamesbank, in a three-week inquiry into the Port of London Authority’s application for a Harbour Revision Order following the Marine Management Organisation’s decision to call in the application. On behalf of Thamesbank, Claire argued that the PLA failed to carry out environmental assessments and involve members of the public in environmental decision-making pursuant to the Aarhus Convention.
• Acting as junior counsel to Ned Westaway for the successful Secretary of State in a judicial review concerning the lawfulness of UK fishing opportunities
• The law of chemical regulation is of particular interest to Claire. She is currently instructed in what would be the UK’s first PFAS (“forever chemicals”) case concerning allegations of PFAS pollution from a large manufacturer of firefighting products in Bentham. She has recently advised on the lawfulness of industrial discharges containing PFAS from a major manufacturing site, participated in an investigation into PFAS contamination by the ENDS Report and written about this area for Chambers’ Environment Law Blog. Claire’s expertise in this area extends to broader issues of pollution, statutory nuisance and contaminated land. She is currently advising a local authority on the interaction between the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the planning regime in relation to contaminated land.

Claire’s reputation as an environmental lawyer is further demonstrated by her regular contributions to policy and educational initiatives in the field of environmental law. She co-authored the Environmental Justice Network Ireland, Queen's University Belfast School of Law and Lawyers for Nature’s submission to the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and supervised LLM students at the University of Essex on a project focusing on the right to a healthy environment in the UK. She is a regular contributor to Chambers’ Environmental Law Blog and an expert contributor to Lexis Nexis’ environmental module on the law of sewers and drains.

Before her call to the Bar, Claire had a previous career where for almost a decade, she gained valuable experience of the intersection between environmental and human rights law in her work for the United Nations in Geneva, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and a number of NGOs. The breadth of Claire’s previous experience with international organisations, a government department and campaign groups means she is already well-practised in considering complex and sensitive legal issues from a range of perspectives.

Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2021. Called to Bar of Ireland in 2025.

French (fluent) Irish (very good) Italian (very good) Spanish (very good)

UK Environmental Law Association The Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA) Planning and Environmental Bar Association (PEBA)

The King’s Inns, Dublin, Advanced Diploma in Irish Planning and Environmental Law (2022) The Inns of Court College of Advocacy, London, Bar Course (2021) City, University of London, GDL (2020) (Distinction) European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice, MA in Human Rights and Democratisation (2015) Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, B.A. European Studies (2014) (First) Recipient of the 2023 Bar European Group's Peter Duffy Scholarship The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple GDL Exhibition Award (2019) City, University of London, Law School GDL Scholarship Award (2019) Awarded funding by European Inter-University Centre in Venice to undertake a six-month traineeship at the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg for graduating amongst the top fifteen students with a Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation (2015) Winners’ Category of International Undergraduate Awards Competition in Social Sciences category for paper, “To what extent do Michel Foucault’s views on power and panopticism inform our understanding of modern-day control and surveillance?” (Finishing in the top 10% of 5,500 entries) (2015). Dean of Students’ Roll of Honour for Contribution to Student Life as President of the Trinity College Dublin French Society (2011) Entrance Exhibition Award from Trinity College Dublin for outstanding Leaving Certificate (Irish equivalent of A-Levels) results (2011)

Outside of work, Claire is a marathon and half marathon runner, Lindy Hop and solo jazz dancer. She also enjoys open-mic storytelling. In 2018, she was a National Finalist in the Dublin Story Slam in The Abbey Theatre, Dublin.