Clerked by: Mark Ronson Jake Brooke
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Piers has a varied planning, environment, licensing and highways practice.
Piers is ranked in Chambers and Partners 2022 where Clients have said:
"Piers provides very succinct, to-the-point advice."
“He is confident, knowledgeable and articulates matters of law well.”
Year of call: 2016
Planning and Environment
He is regularly instructed by local authorities, developers and the wider public in planning inquiries. He has also been instructed by both local authorities and developers at local plan and neighborhood plan exams. He appears in the High Court on behalf of local authorities, and private companies or developers. He also accepts pro bono briefs from the Environmental Law Foundation and he has appeared successfully in the High Court for the ELF. He has also practiced on the Isle of Man on behalf of the Government.
He is instructed in enforcement proceedings which have ranged from defending Enforcement notices in front of Inspectors to justifying s.215 notices to the Magistrates. He has been involved in securing the relatively uncommon Planning Enforcement Order and litigation and prosecution arising from Tree Protection Orders. Piers has successfully appeared in both the County Court and High Court obtaining Planning Injunctions against unlawful development.
Licensing
Piers practices in all aspects of Licensing law. He regularly appears before licensing sub-committees and regularly appears in both the Magistrates and Crown Courts on taxi and premises licence appeals. He is regularly published in the Journal of Licensing. He has also prosecuted and defended environmental prosecutions both in the Magistrates and the Crown Court.
Compulsory Purchase
Piers has worked for both local authorities and objectors on Compulsory Purchase Orders. This has included helping local authorities put in place proper systems for bringing forward CPOs (from preparing to make the Order all the way to implementing a confirmed Order) and also appearing at CPO inquires, and dealing with the resulting compensation and References to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) for both claimants and local authorities. This has included successfully confirming CPOs under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Housing Act 1985 and Highway Act 1980. Piers has experience leading teams in compensation mediation which recently including settling a multi-million-pound compensation claim.
Piers is qualified to accept Public Access work.
Piers carries out a number of training sessions for local authorities and developers on planning, enforcement, CPOs, public sector equality and licensing.
He has also given talks at various conferences and RTPI events.
Highways
His highway practice has ranged from resisting a s.37 complaint against the public adoption of a highway, to working on a case involving the operation of a s.56 notice relating to the inadequate drainage of the highway, and to appearing at public rights of way and highway CPO public inquiries. This has included appearing for the Order Making Authority on a s.118B Order Inquiry to extinguish a footpath running through school grounds. Piers often works with local resident groups seeking declarations as to the extent of a highway and has also worked for a local authority in obtaining a relatively rare highway injunction against trespass on the highway. Piers often works with local resident groups seeking declarations as to the extent of a highway and has also worked for a local authority in obtaining a relatively rare highway injunction against trespass on the highway. Piers has considerable experience in dealing with Traffic Regulation Orders. This experience ranges from drafting TROs for local authorities, objecting to them for third parties, and challenging them successfully. in the High Court. Piers also advises on issues arising out of village green applications.
Recent High Court appearances include:
Examples of recent inquiry experience include:
Secured permission, following a public inquiry, for Inland Homes for 206 homes in Staines upon Thames – Led by Paul Tucker QC
Successfully appeared on behalf of Gladman Retirement Living Ltd obtaining planning permission for a specialist accommodation for the elderly in Birmingham.
Successfully appeared on behalf of local planning authority defending Members refusal (against Officer advice) of permission for 170 dwellings in the countryside
Successfully appeared on behalf of local planning authority in resisting a Certificate of Lawfulness in relation to the use of World War II bunkers for commercial purposes.
Successfully appearing on behalf of a group of Parish Councils to oppose a £75 million Eddie Stobart national distribution centre in the Green Belt.
Examples of recent Compulsory Purchase Order inquiries:
Appeared for acquiring authority at an inquiry which confirmed a CPO under Highway Act 1980 to allow for the delivery of a £5 million city centre junction scheme.
Appeared for the acquiring authority at an inquiry which confirmed a CPO against an empty six-bedroom Property which the Owner claimed he had recently moved into and was purporting to carry out work on.
Appeared for the acquiring authority at an inquiry which confirmed a CPO against half-finished development which had been abandoned in 2012.
Examples of recent development plan examination appearances include;
Appeared on behalf of Gladman Developments to make representations to the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan Appeared on behalf of Wiltshire County Council to support their Housing Site Allocation Plan
Appeared on behalf of the Isle of Man Government to support their Area Plan for the East.
Appeared on behalf of Gladman Developments to successfully make representations that the Oundle Neighbourhood Plan could not proceed to Referendum
PEBA
Inner Temple
Northern Circuit
Environmental Law Foundation
Foundation Scholar: Queens’ College Cambridge
Bar Professional Training Course, City Law School (2015-2016): Very Competent
Graduate Diploma in Law, City University (2014-2015): Commendation
Archaeology and Anthropology BA Hons, University of Cambridge (2011-2014): First Class
Eton College 2005-2010
Recommendations
"Piers provides very succinct, to-the-point advice." "He is confident, knowledgeable and articulates matters of law well." Chambers UK 2022
36 Young Street, Manchester, M3 3FT DX: 718188 MCH 3 Direct Dial: 0161 832 9082
5 Park Square, Leeds, LS1 2NE DX: 713113 LEEDS PARK SQ Direct Dial: 0113 242 1123
Embassy House, 60 Church Street, Birmingham, B3 2DJ DX: 13023 BIRMINGHAM Direct Dial: 0121 200 3570
Mark Ronson
Jake Brooke
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