Call: 1982

John Barrett

  • 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.

    Chambers UK 2017
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Practice Summary

John has practiced at the Planning and Environmental Bar since 1983. He is PEBA Member and is a former Committee Member of PEBA. John is also the former Editor of Encyclopaedia of Environmental Health (Sweet and Maxwell) he practices in all aspects of Town and Country Planning, Compulsory Purchase, Highways, Minerals and Waste, Renewable Energy, Environment, together with Administrative & Public Law and Local Government. Over the last 2 years John has promoted the development of over 2,000 houses on behalf of house builder and land promoter clients.

John acts for many of the UK’s leading developers and house builders. He acts for most of the major house builders including Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Redrow, Wainhomes, Seddon Homes, Peel Group, McCarthy & Stone and Tensi Homes and Heritage Homes. He acts for national developers including Gladman Developments and Fox Strategic Land and Property. John has acted for major retail developers including Morrisons, Aldi, Maple Developments and the Brookhouse Group. He acted for the developers at recent examination in public of the central Lancashire Core Strategy, Cheshire East Local Plan and the Stratford on Avon Local Plan. John regularly advises and appears in cases concerning judicial and statutory reviews of Planning Decisions and Local Plan adoption.

John was appointed a Recorder in 2003. He has lectured throughout the UK at seminars for the Royal Town Planning Institute, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and in respect of housing and in-house events on variety of subjects He has acted pro bono for environmental groups. He is married with two children.

Planning & Environment

John specialises in all aspects of town and country planning, environmental law, compulsory purchase and acquisition and highways.

John acts for many of the UK’s leading developers and house builders. Over the past two years he has secured planning permission for well in excess of 2,000 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, Emmer Green and Faringdon in Oxfordshire, Watton in Norfolk, Foxton in Cambridgeshire; Bozeat in Wellingborough and 3 appeals all in Hambleton District.

He acted for the developers at recent examination in public of the central Lancashire Core Strategy, 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.

He has appeared as counsel in numerous UDP and Local Plan inquiries and has worked extensively in the areas of waste disposal and management, minerals, highways and housing. Other significant inquiries include those relating to substantial commercial and retail developments, especially supermarkets and public houses/restaurants.

Public & Administrative

John was the former Editor of the Encyclopaedia of Environmental Health (Sweet and Maxwell).

He is a Member of the Administrative Law Bar Association.
He regularly advises and acts in cases involving Local Government and public policy.
He has been involved in a number of leading and high profile cases including highway closure and section 38 agreements, local authority decision making, waste disposal, sewers and drains, statutory nuisance proceedings and environmental assessment.

“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.”
Chambers UK 2017

“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.”
Chambers UK 2016

“He is an excellent advocate – very confident, assertive and good at cross-examination.”

“He is always very efficient and effective. He has a calm manner, and is particularly good at defending difficult positions.” Chambers UK 2015
Chambers UK 2015

“John Barrett does a significant amount of work in relation to waste disposal and management, and recently appeared in Environment Agency v Stephen Dale, a case brought against a private individual for the improper disposal of waste on agricultural land.”

“According to one solicitor, senior junior John Barrett “has a great deal of experience that proves very useful.” “Cool and collected,” he is much respected by solicitors who say that “if you need to get an injunction he’s like a Jack Russell.” Barrett recently acted in an appeal relating to a large housing development intended for the former site of Leeds Girls High School.”
Chambers UK 2013

“John Barrett impresses solicitors with his firm grasp of the law and his strong “technical abilities.” His practice encompasses a variety of areas, but he is closely associated with waste issues.His recent work has included acting on retail and residential developments and their environmental impacts.”

“John Barrett represented Lancashire County Council on a £700 million retail investment in Preston. He has extensive experience of highways concerns, minerals planning, housing and commercial developments.”
Chambers UK 2012

“John Barrett is widely praised for his experience of complex waste management assignments”

“John Barrett combines a thriving environmental practice with his much sought-after town and country planning work, and handles cases concerning a number of different areas, including waste disposal, minerals, highways and housing.”
Chambers UK 2011

“A real professional”
Legal 500 2017

“He has a good grasp of strategic issues”
Legal 500 2015

“Cuts to the essential issues in a case”
Legal 500 2014

John Barrett has “significant planning practices”
Legal 500 2012

  • R v Ruttle, ex p. Marshall [1988] 57 P & CR 299 Enforcement Notice

  • Vasiliou v Secretary of State for Transport [1991] 2 All ER 77 Closure of Highway

  • John Kennelly Sales Ltd v SoS [1994] 1 PLR 10 Enforcement notice

  • Daniel Platt Ltd v SoS and Staffordshire [1997] JPL 349 “old mining permission”

  • R v Sefton MBC, ex p. Help the Aged [1997] 4 All ER 532 Local Authority duties

  • Sovereign Rubber Ltd v Stockport BC [2000] Env LR 194 Statutory Nuisance

  • Hull v Warrington Borough Council [1999] Env LR 868 Waste Disposal

  • Bradford v. Yorkshire Water [2001] EWHC 803 Public Sewer

  • Smith v SoS [2003] EWCA CA Civ 262 Waste Disposal

  • Tromans v. Cannock Chase DC [2004] EWCA Civ 407 Local Authority decision making

  • Blewett v. Derbyshire CC [2004] EWCA Civ 1508 Environmental Assessment

  • Anderton v. Bradford MBC [2006] EWHC 3344 Environmental Assessment

  • Belfields Ltd v. SoS [2007] EWHC 3040 (Admin) Judicial Review

  • Brookhouse Group v. Preston City Council [2008] EWCA Civ 351 Judicial Review

  • Belfields Ltd v. Sefton MBC [2008] EWHC 1975 (Ch) Compulsory Purchase Estoppel

  • Waste Recycling Group v. Cumbria County Council [2011] EWHC 3005 Judicial Review

  • Compton v. SoS [2012] EWHC 351 Enforcement Notice Challenge

  • Angus Heron v. Kirklees Council [2012] EWHC 3574 Enforcement Notice

  • Redrow Homes v. Knowsley Council [2013] EWHC 3734 Highways Act Judicial Review

  • Bagshaw v. Wyre Borough Council [2014] EWHC 508 Judicial Review

  • Fox Strategic Land v. Chorley Council [2014] EWHC 1179 Statutory Challenge

  • Anderson v. SoS [2015] EWHC 3005 Listed Building/Reservoirs Act

  • Shimbles v. Bradford Council [2018] EWHC 195 Heritage Assets

  • Canterbury City Council v. SSCLG and Gladman Developments [2018] EWHC 1611 interpretation of Policy

  • Matthews v City of York and Anor [2018] EWHC 2102 Local Authority decision taking

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