John Barrett

Profile

John acts for many of the UK’s leading developers and house builders. Over the two years he has secured planning permission for well in excess of 1,700 homes.

He acts for most of the major house builders including Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Redrow, Wainhomes, Seddon Homes, McCarthy & Stone and Tensi Homes and Heritage Homes. He acts for national developers including Gladman Developments and Fox Strategic Land and Property.

John has recently acted for the developer in housing appeals at Kirkham in Lancashire, Malpas and Northwich in Cheshire West; Wistaston, Holmes Chapel, Sandbach and Alsager in Cheshire East, Faringdon in Oxfordshire; Bozeat in Wellingborough and 3 appeals all in Hambleton District.

He acted for the developers at recent examination in public of the Cheshire East Local Plan and the Stratford on Avon Local Plan.

John regularly advises on judicial and statutory reviews of Planning Decisions and Local Plan adoption.

Year of Call: 1982

Areas of Expertise

Administrative & Public Law

John advises developers and local authorities on a range of administrative and public law matters including: judicial review, highways, public rights of way, village greens and governance issues.

He recently acted for Yorkshire Water in respect of a statutory challenge to the grant of planning permission that involved detailed consideration of the Reservoirs Act 1975

John has acted for individuals, companies, developers and local authorities in relation to issues concerning local authorities rights, powers and duties. He is regularly instructed in compulsory purchase matters. He recently promoted the Lancashire County Council Broughton Bypass CPO. He is also regularly involved in minerals, renewable and waste matters.

He acted for North Lincolnshire Council in successfully resisting two on shore windfarm proposals.

Download Administrative & Public Law Profile

Environment

John acts for developers and local authorities in relation to all aspects of Town and Country Planning matters. He is especially experienced in housing, retail and environmental planning matters

Download Environment Profile

Local Government

John advises developers and local authorities on a range of administrative and public law matters including: judicial review, highways, public rights of way, village greens and governance issues.

He recently acted for Yorkshire Water in respect of a statutory challenge to the grant of planning permission that involved detailed consideration of the Reservoirs Act 1975

He acted for North Lincolnshire Council in successfully resisting two on shore windfarm proposals.

Download Local Government Profile

Planning

John acts for developers and local authorities in relation to all aspects of Town and Country Planning matters. He is especially experienced in housing, retail and environmental planning matters

Download Planning Profile

Memberships

He is a member of the Planning and Environmental Bar Association. He has lectured throughout the UK at RTPI, housing and in-house events on variety of subjects.

Appointments

John was appointed a Recorder in 2003

Publications

He was formerly the editor of the Encyclopedia of Environmental Health (Sweet and Maxwell)

Qualifications

BA (hons) MMU Grays Inn

Recommendations

Chambers UK 2023

"John is an excellent tactician and is responsive and helpful. He thinks of the bigger picture."

"A leading expert on highways and CPO law - he provides measured advice and leaves no stone unturned."

Legal 500 2023

‘John has great strength is distilling complex issues into advice that is crystal clear. He is the go-to person for environmental, ecological and air quality-type issues.’

Chambers UK 2022

"He is very experienced and very capable, and his experience cuts across not just planning and environmental law but environment offending too."

Chambers UK 2021

"He gives excellent advice on all fronts. He is good for strategy at an early stage as well as all the hard graft." "A very learned man with amazing skills. He will tell you how it is."

"He is always hyper-prepared with a good knowledge of the minutiae." "He is a top performer."

Legal 500 2021

"John knows his planning law inside out a go-to barrister."

Legal 500 2020

Always sees the bigger picture of a case.

Chambers UK 2020

"He is very calm under pressure and responds to any challenge before him."

"A leading junior who does heavyweight housing work." "Very impressive written advice." "He has a calm head under pressure."

Chambers UK 2019

"He's one of the brightest barristers I've ever met."

"A very skilled advocate in cross-examination. He's exceptionally responsive and he gives very clear advice." "Very sharp."

Legal 500 2019

"Noted for his expertise in mineral planning law."

Chambers UK 2018

"He's extremely client-friendly and is always willing to work as part of the team."

"Very good at ensuring everything is properly detailed and prepared so you have a strong case to run." "He has a full understanding of every case and a strategy moving forward."

Legal 500 2018:

"Known for representing developers and housebuilders."

Chambers UK 2017

"He has an excellent rapport with clients and is very empathetic." "He is a solid performer."

"He is phenomenally knowledgeable, extremely personable and easy to work with. He is firm but fair and is very clever at addressing weak points in the case." "He is exceptional."

Legal 500 2017:

"A real professional."

Chambers UK 2016

"An excellent practitioner."

"Excellent: he is very experienced in all areas of planning and environmental law and fights hard for his clients, offering a highly skilled service."