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Josef's practice at the Bar focuses on licensing, town and country planning, regulatory work and property including landlord and tenant.
He acts for and advises a wide range of local authorities, the licensed trade, developers, regulatory bodies, landlords and private individuals.
Josef's practice at the Bar focuses on licensing, town and country planning, regulatory work and property including social housing.
He acts for and advises a wide range of local authorities, the licensed trade, private and social landlords, developers, regulatory bodies and private individuals.
Josef Cannon is a graduate of Kings College, London, and was called to the Bar by Lincolns Inn in 2002.
For Licensing, he is recognised as a leading junior in both the Legal 500 2015 and Chambers & Partners 2015, described in the former as "the instructing solicitor's dream counsel" and by Chambers as "very approachable and gets results...an impressive advocate".
In Planning the Legal 500 recognises him as a leading junior and describes him as "extremely knowledgeable and able to think on his feet". He has particular experience in residential development and housing land supply issues.
Josef also has experience of regulatory work (including significant experience prosecuting and defending environmental matters) and continues to be instructed by residential landlords in all aspects of social housing and homelessness law.
"Anyone needing a barrister in any of these fields (planning and licensing) need look no further. First class barrister in first-class Chambers!"
"He gives no-nonsense, practical advice, he bears in mind the economics of the situation, he's very good with clients, and he's always prepared to go the extra mile." Chambers & Partners 2018
"He's very personable, he's incredibly likeable, and the court warms to him. Whatever he does is effective." Chambers & Partners 2018
"He has a calm demeanour and commands clients' full confidence." Legal 500 2017
"Good on his feet." Legal 500 2017
"He is an extremely effective cross-examiner." Chambers & Partners 2017
"He always provides a first-class service. He has the local knowledge, is politically aware and adds value." Chambers & Partners 2017
"Always very well prepared, but able to think on his feet should an unexpected or difficult issue arise." Legal 500 2016
"He is empathetic with clients and operators." Legal 500 2016
"He is very personable and pitches his case at the appropriate level." "He is good in front of both committees and courts."Chambers & Partners 2016
"He is extremely knowledgeable and able to think on his feet." Legal 500 2015
"Always goes the extra mile, and is the instructing solicitors' dream counsel." Legal 500 2015
Josef can provide advice, assistance and representation to businesses, to local groups and to members of the public in planning matters, in particular concerning enforcement notices, making representations about planning applications near your property, and dealing with defending prosecutions for planning offences.
Josef can provide advice, assistance and representation to businesses, to local groups and to members of the public in licensing matters, covering alcohol and regulated entertainment (pubs, bars etc), sex licensing (lapdancing clubs, sex shops etc) and taxi licensing.
He has worked in the field of licensing for eight years and have represented many different clients, from local authorities through to nighclub operators, from residents of a street disturbed by a proposed club to Trading Standards and the Police. He brings a wealth of practical experience to his role and always tries to help clients find a solution which they are happy with - whether or not that means going to court (and often it does not!). He is often available at relatively short notice and always happy to travel anywhere in the country should it be required. Josef also knows that licensing often takes place out of 'normal' office hours and he is always flexible about when he is needed.
Much of Josef's practice in the areas of licensing, planning, housing and judicial review involve questions of public law. He appears in courts of all levels litigating public law matters and advises on a broad range of public law questions and advises and represents both claimants and respondents in judicial review cases, particularly involving local authorities, and where the subject matter is related to his core areas of practice. Often his practice brings together questions of both public and private law and the breadth of his practice means he is in a good position to accommodate that requirement.
Josef retains a busy civil practice, covering most aspects of civil litigation from contractual disputes through employment matters to injunctions, arbitrations and boundary disputes.
Arbitration & mediation
Josef is experienced in arbitration, having advised in a number of cases and recently appeared as junior in a multi-million pound commercial arbitration involving a local authority.
Land and property disputes
Although the majority of Josef's experience in respect of land and property is either housing-related or planning related, he also has experience of advising and representing parties in property disputes including issues over boundaries and rights of way. he is regularly instructed in the First Tier and Upper Tribunals.
Regulatory law
Josef has acted in a large number of appeals against Abatement Notices under the Environmental Protection Act 1990; he also prosecutes and defends in the magistrates and crown courts, often in cases involving public authorities. He is also appears regularly in benefit fraud, planning and licensing matters for and against local authorities. He has also appeared at inquests on health and safety matters. He appeared (successfully) in Wandsworth LBC v Rashid [2009] EWHC 1844 (Admin), concerning the local authority's waste enforcement policy and abuse of process.
1st September 2015
Cornerstone on the Planning Court, the definitive guide to the new Planning Court produced by Cornerstone Barristers, is now available to buy online and in book shops.
Edited by Tom Cosgrove and written by members of the Cornerstone Planning Team, the guide is the first of its kind to analyse the procedures and work of the Planning Court which was introduced in April 2014.
Designed to be practical and accessible, it is the essential reference for all those who are involved in bringing or defending claims in the Court, and those who have an interest in the broad range of claims that now fall within the Court's remit. The guide will be of particular use to those instructing solicitors and barristers in planning related matters such as planning consultancies, development companies, pressure groups and individuals, as well as solicitors, professional planning bodies and local authorities.
Contributors to Cornerstone on the Planning Court include Michael Bedford QC, Josef Cannon, Estelle Dehon, Emma Dring, James Findlay QC, Robin Green, Mark Lowe QC, Jack Parker, Clare Parry, Asitha Ranatunga and Robert Williams.
For further information on Cornerstone on the Planning Court or to purchase a copy, click here.
30th June 2013
Contributor to Licensed Premises: Law & Practice (Bloomsbury, 2013), a highly practical guide to the licensed industry. It clearly explains, through the use of case studies, practical tools and strategic policy advice, how the licensing regime, allied to other statutory and voluntary schemes, can be used to develop a more sustainable, diverse leisure economy.
Click here for further information.
1st September 2010
Contributor to "Gambling for Local Authorities: Licensing, Planning & Regeneration" (2nd edition), which charts the terrain of gambling law simply and succinctly for both licensing and planning professionals.
The second edition includes important new material:
* Commentary on major issues, including split premises, skills with prize machines and house prize competitions.
* New regulatory material, including up-dated regulations, Guidance and Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice.
* New case law, including on provisional statements, appeals, costs and bias.
* New text on Planning Policy Statement 4 and the Community Infrastructure Levy.
* A new chapter on problem gambling by Professor Mark Griffiths.
* New tables and figures to explain and simplify the law.
Click here for further information.
23rd August 2007
In partnership with the Institute of Licensing, Cornerstone Barristers has produced a new publication: Gambling for Local Authorities: Licensing, Planning and Regeneration (General Editor: Philip Kolvin).
The book is designed to abbreviate and simplify the new law of gambling. It is intended for easy reading by both officers and members involved in licensing and allied fields such as planning and regeneration. It is the only book which will draw the important links between planning and licensing and which involves experts from across all the relevant disciplines. Writers include Philip Kolvin QC, Mark Lowe QC, Rory Clarke, Michael Bedford, Josef Cannon and Clare Parry.
Other writers include Institute Vice Chair Professor Colin Manchester (Professor of Licensing Law, University of Warwick), Professor Peter Collins (a leading expert in gambling and regeneration), planning expert Andy Arrick of Roger Tym & Partners, Jeremy Phillips (who edits Patersons) and William Hill Chief Executive David Harding. We are hoping that it will become a standard reference work in its field.
We do hope that you will take advantage of this offer before it ends. Further information on the book is set out below, together with an order form.
Click here for further details.
Reviews include:
"An excellent account of the framework of the new Act", and "strongly recommended". Roy Light, a professor of law UWE and a barrister at St John's Chambers, Bristol, writing in Solicitor's Journal
"A testimony to the changed landscape and the lifting of local authority regulation to a higher plane. Wearing the badge of the Institute of Licensing, as it does, this volume is as much an advertisement for the new order as it is a valuable contribution to modern gambling knowledge." The Licensing Review [70], July 2007
"In this timely and extremely important new book, Philip Kolvin and his team cut through this enormous piece of legislation with a light narrative style, incisive comments and useful practical applications. The book is suitable for anyone with any involvement with the new legislation, whether they are from the licensing authority, planning authority, gambling industry or responsible authorities or interested parties. Technical matters are clearly explained, the practical aspects of application and challenge are clarified and the use of the various licences and permissions is detailed and comprehensible. For a book to succeed, it must be both useful and accessible, and "Gambling for local authorities: licensing, planning and regeneration" seems set to succeed on both levels. It is highly recommended." James Button, PH Law
"Kolvin's book provides answers for the many challenges facing local authorities under the new legislation. It is a good advert for the legal profession." Dr. Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies, Nottingham Trent University
Josef is an experienced and effective trainer. He regularly travels across the country training councillors, licensing officers and other lawyers on the licensing environment (including the sex entertainment venue licensing and taxi regimes). Between 2010 and 2012 he co-ordinated and delivered the Certificate of Licensing Law course at the University of Westminster.
He can provide tailored training sessions, from large scale seminars to practical workshops.
News
For the Birds? The Habitats Regulations and the Licensing of Outdoor Festivals
24th May 2018
By Josef Cannon In a recent article in the Journal of Licensing, two experienced planning/licensing barristers published an interesting article on the potential application of the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC) and....News
21st May 2018
By Josef Cannon The Cornerstone team has as usual been busy across the leisure sector since the last newsletter. As Ben du Feu's round-up below indicates, our barristers have been instructed....News
Joe speaking at the Institute of Licensing
9th March 2018
Following his recent qualification as a mediator, in March Joe will be speaking to three regional meetings of the Institute of Licensing (IoL) about the benefits and potential for mediation....Case
Common sense approach to the ‘tilted balance’, as the sun begins to set on paragraphs 14 and 49
7th March 2018
In a welcome injection of common sense into the rumbling controversy about when, and how, the 'tilted balance' in paragraph 14 of the NPPF might apply, an Inspector in Chelmsford....News
Cornerstone Barristers appointed to the Gambling Commission’s panel
14th February 2018
Cornerstone Barristers has been appointed to the Gambling Commission's standing panel of barristers' chambers to provide legal advice and representation for an initial period of three years. The team will be....News
Music venues and their neighbours: Government’s plans to strike the right balance
18th January 2018
Introduction The Government has today announced plans to ensure that housing developers building new homes near music venues should be responsible for addressing noise issues, in a move to protect both....News
Betting industry bracing over new government consultation on gambling
31st October 2017
Betting industry bracing over new government consultation on gambling
....Case
First s.53D interim steps appeal dismissed
6th June 2017
Bedford Borough Council have successfully resisted what is thought to be the first appeal under s.53D of the Licensing Act 2003, against a decision that an interim step of suspension....News
Cornerstone Leisure Newsletter May 2017
24th May 2017
The Cornerstone Leisure Newsletter includes... Editor's Note - Josef Cannon Leisure development in the Green Belt – not all fun and games? - Martin Edwards Licensing Uber: Better the devil you know?....Case
Is this the first Interim Steps appeal under the new s.53D?
11th May 2017
On 6 April 2017 the new s.53D of the Licensing Act 2003 came in to force. Intended to bring an end to the long-running debate about what happens to interim....News
Cornerstone Leisure Newsletter February 2017
23rd February 2017
The Cornerstone Leisure Newsletter includes...Case
22nd November 2016
The world-famous nightclub Fabric is once again to open its doors. The club was closed in September by Islington Council, as a result of deaths from drug overdoses at the club,....Case
31st August 2016
Last week the Secretary of State published his decisions in respect of two appeals against refusals of planning permission for extensive housing development in the countryside beyond the Green Belt....Case
Licensing Act 2003 appeals: is JR available if time is short?
29th July 2016
Can judicial review be used to get a quicker decision than appealing to the Magistrates' Court in a Licencing Act 2003 case?
What are the obligations on a sub-committee in terms of reading supporting documentation?
....Case
11th July 2016
The Upper Tribunal has upheld the right of residents of a small architect-designed development built in the late 1980s and subject to restrictive covenants seeking to preserve its built form to rely on those covenants in resisting plans by one resident to extend her house.
....Case
Step Changes Proposed to Summary Reviews
24th February 2016
Rory Clarke and Josef Cannon consider the implications of the recently proposed changes to the Summary Review procedure in the Licensing Act 2003.
....News
Cornerstone Housing Newsletter - February 2016
1st February 2016
The latest Cornerstone Housing newsletter includes:News
Housing crisis at centre of proposed changes to NPPF
10th December 2015
Josef Cannon considers the proposals set out in the Government's recently published consultation document on the National Planning Policy Framework. Introduced with minimal fanfare (save for in the Daily Telegraph, which called....News
Cornerstone on the Planning Court
1st September 2015
Cornerstone on the Planning Court, the definitive guide to the new Planning Court produced by Cornerstone Barristers, is now available to buy online and in book shops.
....Case
11th April 2014
Star Oyster Ltd and The Casino Ltd -v- Guildford Borough Council The proper approach to minor variations to premises licences under section 41A and 41B of the Licensing Act 2003 was....Case
Lap dance no more: Courts affirm wide powers to refuse renewals
27th March 2014
R (Bean Leisure Trading A Limited) v Leeds City Council and R (Ruby May (1) Ltd) v Leeds City Council [2014] EWHC 878 (Admin) Thompson v Oxford City Council [2014] ...
....Case
"Copper's Nose" gets double punch from Cornerstone Barristers
24th September 2013
Ipswich police faced an uphill task when they appealed the decision of Ipswich Borough Council to allow an extension of hours to the premises licence of one of the town's principal night time venues, Revolution.
....Case
19th March 2013
novemberoctoberseptemberaugustjulyjunemayaprilmarchfebruaryjanuary In a judgment that will be of great assistance to licensing authorities, a judge of the High Court dismissed an application for judicial review against a refusal to grant a....News
Cornerstone Barristers appointed by Metropolitan Police to panel of Counsel
1st March 2013
Cornerstone Barristers are delighted to announce that the following members have been appointed by the Metropolitan Police to a panel of counsel to represent and advise them in licensing matters. These....EVENT
IoL: Now & Next Training in London
18th May 2017
1
The 'Now & Next' course is aimed at everyone with an interest in licensing, including Licensing Officers, Police Officers, Councillors and legal advisors of the licensing committee. Each session will be....EVENT
IoL: Now & Next Training in Manchester
16th May 2017
The 'Now & Next' course is aimed at everyone with an interest in licensing, including Licensing Officers, Police Officers, Councillors and legal advisors of the licensing committee. Each session will be....EVENT
Cornerstone Annual Planning Day 2016
7th November 2016
Tickets are now available for the Cornerstone Barristers' Annual Planning Conference aimed at practitioners in the private sector, taking place on 7th November 2016. The day will be hosted by Cornerstone....