Christopher specialises in Town and Country Planning, Compulsory Purchase, Environmental and Infrastructure Law.

Christopher was called to the Bar (Lincoln's Inn) in November 1994 and he was appointed King's Counsel in March 2013. He joined Landmark Chambers in 2007.

For nearly 30 years, he has specialised in Town and Country Planning, Compulsory Purchase, Environmental and Infrastructure Law, acting principally for developers, landowners and scheme promoters.

For over 25 years, Christopher's practice been dominated by the promotion of major housing schemes across the country, at section 78 and local plan. These include past and present promotion of 2,000 houses at Sayor Common, 1000 in Cambridge, 4,500 in the Wirral and many schemes of around 100-500 units taking advantage of para 11 of the NPPF.

Christopher has a recognised expertise in the issues of housing, 5-year land supply local plan and neighbourhood plan matters. At Dawlish he defeated the first ever neighbourhood plan to reach examination. His case Woodcock Holdings v SSCLG represents a milestone case in the approach to the then para. 14 of the NPPF. He regularly appears for landowner and developer interests in promoting strategic sites.

His clients include many of the Country’s largest house-builders: Barratt/David Wilson, Berkeley Homes, Crest Nicholson, Persimmon, Croudace, Gleeson Developments, Wates and Rydon Homes among others. He also regularly acts for landpromoters landed estate and landowners directly promoting their own sites. His work with the Prince’s foundation and the Build Better Build Beautiful commission gives him an insight into the government’s ‘beauty agenda’ and landowner legacy scheme and Design coding.

Town centre regeneration CPOs and retail work has encompassed protecting and extending retail landownership for major investor/owners across the country.

Christopher was a founder member of the Compulsory Purchase Association, wrote the PEBA Consultation response to the IPC/DCO process in the 2008 Act and has been involved throughout his practice in significant infrastructure promotion. This has included hybrid bill (Central Railways), TWA (eg the Second Tyne Tunnel; the £500m Mersey Gateway Bridge), and conventional planning and highways CPO.

• BA (Hons)(Oxon) - Juriprudence (Merton College, Oxford)

Memberships 

• Compulsory Purchase Association (Founding committee member 2006)

• Planning and Environmental Bar Association (Secretary 2006-2013)

• The Georgian Group (Chairman 2015-2020)