Planning
Sioned has gained a broad range of planning and infrastructure experience, including at hearings, inquiries, call-ins and in the High Court, both in a led and unled capacity. This has included acting for and advising a wide range of clients including residential, commercial, energy, minerals and logistics developers, national and local government, the Welsh Ministers, and other interested parties.
Recent highlights have included:
- Acting as sole counsel for Westminster City Council in the two-week inquiry into the Secretary of State’s call-in of the application for the redevelopment of 458 Oxford Street, Marks and Spencers flagship store. Key issues included heritage impact, and whole life carbon assessment.
- Acting as junior counsel a wide range of successful residential appeals including across London, the south east, south west, and midlands and in areas with particular planning constraints including in Green Belt and AONB. Key issues have included housing land supply, heritage, landscape, affordable housing and planning obligations.
- Acting as junior counsel in a 9- day hearing for mixed use development for 216 homes, 1600 square meters of commercial space in London (junior to Christopher Young KC).
- Acting as junior counsel in minerals inquiries including in South Wales and in Dorset AONB (junior to Richard Kimblin KC)
- Acting as junior counsel defending the grant of planning permission in the High Court on behalf of the promoters and developers of a site which was granted planning permission for over 2500 houses in Worcestershire.
- Acting as junior counsel defending the grant of planning permission on behalf of the local planning authority for the over 2200 houses. Challenge relates to the provision of NHS contributions.
- Acting as junior counsel (to Peter Goatley KC) for a developer promoting a logistics haulage site adjacent to the nationally-significant Magna Park.
- Advising several major housebuilders, developers, local authorities and interested parties on all parts of the development life-cycle, including site promotion, seeking planning permission, permitted development and s.106 agreements.
- During her pupillage, Sioned shadowed High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings in some of the most important decisions of 2020 relating to NPPF interpretation (Gladman v SSCLG and Peel Investments v SSHCLG)
Sioned’s advisory practice encompasses the following areas:
- Housing land supply, land allocations and regeneration of previously developed land
- Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and heritage assets
- Permitted Development and Use Classes Order
- Judicial and Statutory Review
- Injunctive relief
Infrastructure
Sioned has gained broad experience of the infrastructure planning and consenting regimes in both England and Wales. Throughout her pupillage, she gained experience of challenges to major infrastructure projects, including offshore decommissioning projects in the North of England, to HS2, Drax Power Station, and the North London Heat and Power Project.
More recently, she has advised on:
- A Transport and Works Act Order on the development of a commercial tidal energy demonstration zone
- aspects of compulsory purchase and compensation for HS2
- as sole counsel on legal aspects of using Special Development Orders for border infrastructure works in light of the UK’s exit from the European Union
Civil Orders and Injunctive relief
Sioned has a broad range of experience seeking injunctive relief in a variety of courts. Recent highlights have included:
- Acting as junior counsel for High Speed Two (HS2) Limited in seeking an interim injunction to prevent ‘persons unknown’ trespassing and interfering with HS2 which was granted on a ‘route wide’ basis: https://www.no5.com/media/publications/hs2-route-wide-injunction-granted/
- Acting as sole counsel for the University of Warwick in seeking injunctive relief against protestors on the University campus
Environment
Sioned has a keen interest in developing her environmental law practice and has advised many different stakeholders on the environmental impacts of residential developments, energy and transport infrastructure.
Recent instructions have included advising on habitats and species conservation, environmental permitting, climate change, marine licensing and flooding. She has experience in EIA, SEA and appropriate assessment, nitrates and phosphates.
She has also advised on the environmental assessment aspects of road projects and border infrastructure works, species licensing for an offshore tidal demonstration zone and as part of a team of researchers assessing international obligations of EIA.
She has been frequently instructed in relation to statutory nuisance cases.
Sioned was also recently instructed in a recent case seeking injunctive relief for environmental protest.
Compulsory Purchase and Valuation
Sioned gained experience on a broad range of compulsory purchase and valuation matters during pupillage and has worked, in her own capacity, on a range of matters, including for HS2.
Regulatory
Sioned has gained a broad range of regulatory law experience and of private prosecutions.
Public and EU Law
Sioned has advised on a broad range of public law matters, judicial reviews including on matters which are devolved.
Other information
Prior to coming to the Bar, Sioned was the Chair of a national agricultural youth charity and worked as Head of the Secretariat to the Climate Law and Governance Initiative at COP24 in Katowice, Poland. This event brought together lawyers in the global climate discussion including from states, the World Bank, Green Climate Fund and leading law firms.
Languages
English
Welsh (fluent)
Appointments
Government Legal Department Panel of Junior Junior Counsel
Welsh Government Junior Barrister Public Law Scheme
Awards
Kate Bertram Prize for academic distinction (University of Cambridge)
John Frederic Whitehouse Award for highest marked law dissertation (UCL)
Bentham Award for high academic achievement (UCL)
Memberships
UKELA
Planning and Environmental Bar Association
Administrative Law Bar Association
Young Compulsory Purchase Association
Young National Infrastructure Planning Association
Qualifications
BPP Law School - Bar Professional Training Course – Very Competent (2019)
University of Cambridge – Environmental Law and Policy (MPhil) – First Class Honours (2018)
University College London (UCL) – Law (LLB) – First Class Honours (2017)
