Eric Owen

Practice:

Public law
Public Procurement and State Aid
European law
Environmental law, including Landfill and Waste
Compulsory Purchase law
Licensing and Regulation
Planning law, including Minerals, Retail and Gypsies and Travellers
Energy
Human rights
Highways
Local Government
Village Greens
Ecclesiastical Law

Profile:

Eric practises in Public Law, in particular Public Procurement, State Aid, European law, environmental law, Compulsory Purchase, (Housing and Highways) Licensing and Regulation, Planning law (including, Minerals Retail), Gypsies and Travellers, Energy, human rights, highways, local government and ecclesiastical law.

Eric has extensive experience of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006. He is instructed by the public and the private sector and acting for public authorities he has succeeded in keeping many potential challenges out of court.

He has appeared in many important civil cases, in particular judicial review, and public inquiries.

Significant Work includes:

Recent work includes application for planning permission by developers for sandwinning off Southport and  representing  a local authority in a similar case (Government View) off Gower in South Wales and Both cases involved the Habitat Regulations.  Eric has advised extensively in relation to these regulations. 

Advisory work in relation to Telecommunications Procurement by Greater Manchester Police prior to the Commonwealth Games. 

In 2007 Eric successfully resisted an application for a landfill waste site at Clayhanger Crewe and in  2005 he resisted successfully an application by a waste disposal operator for judicial review against North Lincolnshire Council in respect of another waste site.

In 2006 he promoted a CPO for Denbighshire CC in respect of a site for a Tesco superstore in Prestatyn. He appeared subsequently in the  appeal to the Administrative Court and defended the decision successfully . He also appeared for Staffordshire CC in a judical review case concerning the licensing of bird shows, a case involving consideration of the European regulatory regime dealing with Asian bird flu.

In 2007 he worked  for Northumberrland CC on a major appeal for planning permission in respect of over 3 million tonnes of coal by opencast and he promoted the UDP for the City and County of Swansea.  During 2008 his work included appearing in a case involving an application for permission to extract  4 million tones of sand and gravel.

Eric has been involved in a number of significant cases dealing with human rights and  prisoners rights, including an application against the Home Office under the Disability Discrimination Act  which resulted in the provison of dedicated accommodation for a life prisoner. .

Other major public inquiries in which Eric has worked include the Manchester Airport Second Runway Inquiry (for the Department of Transport - Civil Aviation and Highways) (1995), the Vale of York Electricity Act Inquiry (1995). Eric has promoted a number of highway schemes for the Highways agency and local authorities.

Eric has also worked on a number of significant Development Plans., including Minerals and Waste Plans.

Significant Reported Cases:

R (on the application of Burnley Borough Council and Rowe) v First Secretary of State [2006] EWHC 798 (Admin) exlusion of properties from a CPO (one of the Pathfinder schemes).

Home Builders Federation v Stockport MBC JPL [2000] 616 (statutory appeal against a development plan)

He appeared in the Court of Appeal in Whittaker v Lancaster City Council, CA 8 October 1997 when an injunction was granted to require the return of a sculpture by the celebrated sculptor Eric Gill to the Midland Hotel in Morecambe, a Grade II* listed building.

Eric represented Wigan MBC in the CPO inquiry for access to the JJB Stadium and defended the decision successfully in  the High Court and in the Court of Appeal.

He has appeared also in the Consistory Court in connection with faculty applications, for example in relation to Gresford Church 2002 (Grade 1).

Eric has a particular interest in energy and mineral issues.  He has appeared in public inquiries and advised in relation to electricity issues, including wind farming.  In particular he appeared against the National Grid in the Vale of York DTI Public Inquiry in 1995.

R Bryan v United Kingdom [1996] 1 PLR 47, ECHR ( this was before the European Court of Human Rights , it was the first case to test the planning system against the European Convention on Human Rights article 6 )

North Shropshire District Council v Edwards [1991] JPL 958, CA

Rolf v North Shropshire District Council (1988) 55 P & CR 242

Memberships:
Former Committee member of the Bar European Group
Former Committee member of the Planning and Environment Bar Association.
Northern and North Eastern Circuits
Eric was a member of the Church in Wales Legal Sub committee

Career & Education:

University:
Degree:
Year of Call:

Joined Chambers:
Other Career Information:

Liverpool

Law (LLB)
1969

1990

Eric is an ordained priest in the Church in Wales. He has a working knowledge of Welsh.

 

Eric Owen

Year of Call: 1969

Specialises In:
Planning, Environment & Public Law

Clerked by:
 William Brown 

 

 

 

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