Heather Sargent

Heather is ranked fourth in the list of top-rated junior planning barristers in the Planning Law Survey 2023 and has been listed as one of the top five juniors by the survey for the past four years. She has been ranked in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 for several years.

Her experience includes:

Acting for Marks and Spencer on the redevelopment of its flagship Marble Arch store Acting for both developers and local planning authorities on numerous central London tall building schemes Advising the promoter of the Euston Over-Station Development Advising Gatwick Airport on its proposed DCO to bring its existing standby runway into routine use Defending two judicial review challenges to the 2019 NPPF for MHCLG Defending six judicial review challenges to the Airports NPS (which provides policy support for a third runway at Heathrow) for the Secretary of State for Transport Appearing at the London Plan examination (for the London Borough of Enfield) and for site promoters at the Guildford, Wealden, Tandridge and Welwyn Hatfield Local Plans Advising the acquiring authority on a CPO for a £37m road scheme (sole counsel) and acting for the acquiring authority on both the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (Calverley Square) CPO (theatre, civic centre and office scheme) and the London Borough of Enfield (Alma Estate Regeneration) CPO Acting for both appellants and local planning authorities on major housing schemes including Wisley Airfield, Guildford (2,000 units); Peel Hall, Warrington (1,200 units); and two sustainable urban extensions in Northampton Retail inquiry work (for both appellants and local planning authorities) Acting for retirement home providers on appeal High level judicial review and statutory challenge court work, including numerous appearances before the Court of Appeal as sole counsel.

Heather is a member of the Attorney General’s B Panel of Counsel and of the Welsh Government’s B Panel of Junior Counsel. She is an Assistant Editor of the Encyclopedia of Planning Law and Practice, for which she focuses on heritage matters

Qualifications 2010 – 2011: Bar Professional Training Course, Kaplan Law School, London 2009 – 2010: Master of Philosophy in Law, University of Oxford 2008 – 2009: Bachelor of Civil Law, University of Oxford (Distinction) 2004 – 2008: BA in Jurisprudence – Law with Law Studies in Europe (French), University of Oxford Scholarships 2012: Sunley Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn 2011: Sir Peter Bristow Scholarship, Middle Temple (to spend time working in the EU institutions) 2010: Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn 2009 – 2010: Peter Birks Memorial Scholarship, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford 2006: Scholarship, Hertford College, University of Oxford (for performance as an undergraduate).