Richard Harwood KC

Practice Areas

Planning, Environment, Local Government, Energy, Public Law, Art. Cases include as lead counsel in four Supreme Court cases, in 50 Court of Appeal cases and over 400 Administrative Court/Planning Court cases, as well as planning inquiries, the Upper and First Tier Tribunals and related courts. Appears for a wide range of developers, landowners, public authorities and interest groups.

Planning: includes the full range of applications, appeals and policy including: infrastructure (Manston Airport, Thames Tideway Tunnel); tall buildings (Chiswick Curve, Milton Keynes); new settlements and urban extensions (Ashford South, Waterbeach, Wisley, Swindon New Eastern Villages); mobile homes (Ocean 100); individual projects.

Energy: Solar (Galloway); Wind (Williams, Holder), Renewable Heat regulation (Green Belt (NI), Dennison), Incinerators (Capel, Newhaven).

Environmental: Environmental Permit (BACI); Waste (O’Grady); Private Nuisance (Hirose; Peires); Statutory Nuisance (Elvington).

Environmental Impact Assessment: Finch, Goodman, Lebus, Mellor, SAVE Britain’s Heritage. Strategic Environmental Assessment: Heard.

Highways: conditions (Symmetry), compulsory purchase orders (A320, Swindon), development consent orders (Stonehenge World Heritage Site, A63, A31).

Local Government: decision making and councillors (Spitalfields (Supreme Court), Hethel, Holborn Studios); caravan site licensing (Haytop); open space (Finsbury, Shaman); access to documents (Joicey, Kinsey); councillor code of conduct (Perry) and officer investigations.

Art Law: listed building issues (Dill); export control; regulation, including money laundering; contested heritage.

Career

Called to the Bar of England and Wales (1993, KC 2013); Northern Ireland (2016); St Lucia (2022).

Publications

Author, Planning Permission; Planning Enforcement (3rd Ed); Historic Environment Law. Co-author: Planning Policy; Contested Heritage; co-host, Art & Heritage Law podcast.