Clare Parry

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Clare has a busy practice in public law encompassing in particular planning and environmental law. She regularly acts both for and against central government, local authorities, and other public bodies. Clare is on the Attorney General’s B Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown, and is a member of the Cornerstone Climate cross-disciplinary practice group for climate litigation and advice.

Clare is ranked as a leading junior in planning both by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. She was commended in Legal 500 2023 for her “understated excellence – no courtroom theatrics, just an intellectual force to be reckoned with.”

Expertise

Planning and Environment
Clare has a broad planning practice. She represents a range of clients including local authorities, developers, central government, action groups and special interest groups.

She has particular expertise in infrastructure projects, especially wind energy and transport projects. In 2017, Clare was instructed by the Department for Transport to join the legal team advising on a wide variety of aspects of the HS2 project.

She has expertise in relation to plan-making (appearing for the Defendant in the leading case on neighbourhood plans DLA Delivery v Lewes District Council, and on challenges to local plans including Wealden v Lewes District Council and CPRE Surrey v Waverley District Council). She appears in a wide range of section 78 and enforcement inquiries.

She was promoted to the Attorney General’s B Panel from the C Panel in June 2018. She is ranked as a leading junior in planning by Chambers and Partners.

Clare regularly deals with planning cases in Wales and is familiar with the Welsh planning system.

Planning inquiries

Clare has appeared at inquiries concerning a wide range of development including housing, retail, wind energy, and development of listed buildings. These inquiries have covered the full range of topics including in particular, landscape and visual, housing land supply, the historic environment, traffic and transport and noise.

Notable inquiries include:
- Appearing for local parish councils in a case in Tonbridge and Malling BC raising issues of prematurity where a site was proposed to be included in the green belt in the local plan.
- Appearing for the appellant in an enforcement inquiry in Milton Keynes which has attracted national press attention.
- Appearing for Waverley Borough Council in an appeal concerning the application of the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan.
- Appearing for the National Trust in an appeal concerning the impact of housing proposals on the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens World Heritage Site.
- Appearing alongside Thomas Cosgrove KC in a year-long inquiry into wind farms in Powys.
Development plans

Clare has advised a number of local authorities, including Guildford BC and Herefordshire CC on their local plans. She has appeared at a number of local plan inquiries.

She has been instructed in challenges to local plans including Wealden District Council v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2017] EWHC 351 (Admin)) and CPRE Surrey v Waverley BC [2018] EWHC 2969 (Admin).

Clare regularly advises on neighbourhood plans. She has acted in some of the most significant challenges to neighbourhood plans including R (oao DLA) v Lewes District Council [2017] EWCA Civ 58 (a challenge to the Newick Neighbourhood Plan) and R (oao Bewley Homes) v Waverley Borough Council [2017] EWHC 1776 (Admin) (a challenge to the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan).

Planning enforcement

Clare has advised on and appeared in a range of enforcement matters including listed buildings enforcement and planning enforcement. She has provided training to the Planning Inspectorate on planning enforcement.

She has appeared in challenges concerning enforcement matters in the higher courts for example: Alderson v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2017] EWHC 1415 (Admin).

Environment

Clare regularly appears in and advises on cases concerning the EIA Regulations, Habitats Regulations and SEA Regulations. Notable recent cases include:
- Wealden v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2017] EWHC 351 (Admin) (case concerning how to deal with cumulative increases of traffic on a SPA).
- R (DLA) v Lewes District Council [2017] EWCA Civ 58 (application of SEA Regulations to a neighbourhood plan).
Infrastructure

Clare is part of the team promoting the High Speed 2 (Birmingham to Crewe) Bill. This includes appearing in the front of the Select Committee promoting the Bill.

Clare has extensive experience of wind energy applications including representing Powys County Council in a year long appeal concerning five conjoined applications for wind farms and an application for a 132kV electricity line. She has appeared in challenges to wind energy schemes in the higher courts including R (oao) Williams v Powys CC [2017] EWCA Civ 427.

Rights of way

Clare has advised on and appeared in a number of matters involving rights of way, including challenges in the High Court and footpath inquiries.

The Historic environment

Clare has extensive experience in dealing with the historic environment. In particular, she has:
- Appeared in listed building enforcement inquiries, including representing the RBKC in a substantial four-day inquiry concerning a listed building.
- Represented the National Trust in an inquiry concerning the impact of a housing scheme on a world heritage site.
- Appeared in a number of legal challenges concerning the historic environment including R (on the application of Martin) v Powys CC [2018] EWHC 2892 (taking into account impact on a listed building), R (on the application of North Norfolk Planning Watch Ltd) v North Norfolk DC [2017] EWHC 3345 (Admin) (local listing), R (on the application of Williams) v Powys CC [2017] EWCA Civ 427 (Court of Appeal decision on assessing impact on the setting of a listed building and when a need to consult on an application affecting a scheduled monument).
- Appeared in a substantial number of inquiries concerning impacts on heritage assets.
Public Law and Judicial Review
Clare has a particular interest in public law, which is reflected by her being on the Attorney General’s B panel. The nature of her practice is such that public law issues pervade almost all the work she does. She has particular experience of judicial review and other public law proceedings within the following practice areas:
- Planning and environment
- Housing
- Immigration
Clare regularly advises central and local government in judicial review proceedings.

Clare is understated excellence – no courtroom theatrics, just an intellectual force to be reckoned with.
Legal 500 (2023)

The work she produces is complicated and in-depth, but presented in such a way as to make it understandable to non-lawyer colleagues.
Chambers UK Bar (2022)

More than a match for any silk, she has an indefatigable nature and an ability to grasp complex issues quickly.
Legal 500 (2020)

About Clare

Directory Quotes
- Planning – “Clare is calm and collected, and she is able to make the client feel at ease.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Planning – “Has crossed swords with some of the Bar’s top planning barristers in judicial reviews and inquiries. She is appointed to the Attorney General’s B Panel and is regularly engaged to appear before the High Court in matters throughout England and Wales. Her planning and environmental caseload includes matters involving neighbourhood plans and cultural heritage issues.” Strengths: “The clients were delighted with her analysis and tenacity.” “Clare is our go-to lawyer for planning work.” Chambers and Partners 2023
- Planning – “Clare is understated excellence – no courtroom theatrics, just an intellectual force to be reckoned with. She is patient with clients and a careful assessor of risk, but has X-ray vision for strengths and weaknesses of the other side’s case and will go for the jugular.” Legal 500 2023
- Planning – “She is very approachable and a persuasive advocate.” “The work she produces is complicated and in-depth, but presented in such a way as to make it understandable to non-lawyer colleagues.” Chambers and Partners 2022
- Environment – “She has a strong public law practice, particularly in planning and environmental matters, and performs well.” Legal 500 2022
- Planning – “Clare Parry gives exceptional written advice, with thoughtful and logical conclusions expressed clearly.” “She is very popular with local authority clients.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- “More than a match for any silk, she has an indefatigable nature and an ability to grasp complex issues quickly.” Legal 500 2020
- “She has a quick legal brain and is unfazed by complex legal issues” Legal 500 2020
- “She has excellent knowledge of planning and environmental law. She provides clear and well-structured advice and has great advocacy skills.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “She’s a superb advocate who is good on incredibly complex local challenges.” Chambers and Partners 2018
- “She always delivers a first-class service. She turns jobs around very efficiently and often when faced with very difficult time constraints.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “She has good knowledge and is excellent in court.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “As an advocate she matches a detailed command of the papers with a terrier-like cross-examination style that is both effective and goes down well with clients.” Chambers and Partners 2016
Services
Clare regularly gives talks on aspects of planning law.
Associations
- Planning and Environment Bar Association (PEBA)
- Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
- Free Representation Unit
- London Welsh Lawyers Association
- Social Housing Law Association (SHLA)
Publications