Profile

Piers has a varied planning, environment, licensing and public law practice.

Piers is regularly instructed by both Local Authorities and Developers in planning inquiries. Recently this has included acting successfully for Warrington Borough Council in the Peel Hall Inquiry resisting a 1200 unit development, and for the Whiteley Village Trust in an inquiry on development in a unique retirement village. The latter involved issues of Green Belt development as well as heritage issues linking in with Piers’s background in archaeology.

Piers is regularly instructed in enforcement proceedings. This has ranged from defending enforcement notices in front of Inspectors to justifying s.215 notices to the Magistrates. Recently Piers succeeded in obtaining a Planning Enforcement Order for Calderdale Borough Council in a case involving a concealed underground bunker.

Piers regularly appears in both the Magistrates and Crown Courts on taxi and premises licence appeals.

Piers has acted for Local Authorities on environmental prosecutions recently appearing for Trafford Council in a noise nuisance prosecution. 

Piers has carried out a number of training sessions for Local Authorities on planning, enforcement and building regulations.

Prior to joining chambers Piers spent a year with Richard Buxton Environment and Public Law Solicitors. This involved working on every part of the judicial review process from taking first inquiries to analysing judgments. Piers retains an active interest in working on planning cases involving environmental issues.

Year of call: 2016

Areas of Expertise

Notable Recent Cases:

Planning Enforcement Order: Counsel for Calderdale Council

Whiteley Village Inquiry: Junior Counsel to Paul Tucker QC for Whiteley Village Trust

Peel Hall Inquiry: Junior Counsel to David Manley QC for Warrington Borough Council

Enforcement Appeal: Counsel for Craven District Council

Memberships 

PEBA

Inner Temple

Northern Circuit

Environmental Law Foundation

Awards

Foundation Scholar: Queens’ College Cambridge

Qualifications

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