Isabella Buono

Call: 2017

Isabella is a barrister specialising in planning, environmental and public law. Before joining Landmark, she spent nearly two years as the Judicial Assistant to the President of the Supreme Court, Lord Reed of Allermuir.

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Practice summary

Planning

Public and Administrative

Environment

Practice Summary

Isabella is a barrister specialising in planning, environmental and public law.

She acts for a wide range of public and private sector clients, including housebuilders, land promoters, local authorities and private individuals.

Isabella’s recent cases include:

  • B&Q, Cricklewood: Acted for a developer seeking permission for a mixed-use scheme in North London, including 1,049 residential units in buildings up to 18-storeys in height, led by Sasha White KC. The application was called in by the Secretary of State and will be determined following a two-week inquiry in February 2023.
  • The Green, Southall: Promoted a compulsory purchase order designed to facilitate strategic regeneration in Southall, Ealing. Isabella acted for the acquiring authority and developer at a two-week inquiry in October 2022, led by Zack Simons.
  • Maitland Lodge, Billericay: Acted for a developer seeking permission for 47 homes on a Green Belt site in Essex, led by Zack Simons. Planning permission was granted following a week-long inquiry in September 2022.
  • R (University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust) v Harborough District Council: Acted for Leicestershire County Council in the leading case on section 106 contributions for NHS services, led by Zack Simons. The Trust’s claim was dismissed following a two-day hearing in the High Court in December 2022.
  • R (Tesco Stores Ltd) v Allerdale BC [2022] EWHC 2827 (Admin): Acted for Lidl in a claim for judicial review brought by Tesco, challenging the grant of planning permission for a new Lidl store in Cumbria, led by Sasha White KC. Tesco’s claim was dismissed following a hearing in the High Court in October 2022.

Before joining Landmark, Isabella spent nearly two years as the Judicial Assistant to the President of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Reed of Allermuir. At the Supreme Court, Isabella gained experience of a wide range of issues across her main areas of practice, including in:

  • Heathrow Airport Ltd v Friends of the Earth [2020] UKSC 52 (on the Government’s approach to international climate change commitments when designating the Airports National Policy Statement);
  • R (Begum) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 7 (on the rights of an individual deprived of British citizenship after traveling to Syria and aligning with ISIS); and
  • R (SC) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2021] UKSC 26 (on the compatibility of the two-child benefit cap with articles 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights).

Alongside her practice, Isabella teaches EU Law at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. She has taught EU Law at Cambridge since 2017 and was elected as a Bye-Fellow of St Edmund’s in 2021.

Planning

Isabella has a broad planning practice, covering a full range of court, inquiry and advisory work. She has experience of promoting and resisting complex schemes in sensitive locations, including London tall buildings and residential development in the Green Belt.

Isabella’s inquiry experience includes:

  • Greenfield: Isabella has acted for appellants in a number of greenfield planning appeals, including Land off Spruce Close, Exeter (93 homes) and Land off Swanstree Avenue, Sittingbourne (135 homes), led by Zack Simons.
  • Green Belt: Isabella acted for the successful appellant at a week-long inquiry into a residential scheme (47 homes) at Maitland Lodge, Billericay, led by Zack Simons.
  • London tall buildings: Isabella acted for the appellant at a recent call-in inquiry into a mixed-use scheme (including 1,049 homes in buildings up to 18-storeys) on the B&Q site, Cricklewood, led by Sasha White KC. She acted for Hounslow LBC at the call-in inquiry for the Citroen site, Brentford (including 441 homes in buildings up to 18-storeys), led by Ed Grant.
  • Compulsory purchase: Isabella acted for the acquiring authority and developer at a two-week inquiry into a compulsory purchase order for The Green, Southall, led by Zack Simons. The CPO is designed to facilitate strategic regeneration in the heart of Southall.
  • Infrastructure: Isabella acted as sole counsel for the landowner, resisting an application made by Energy North West for a necessary wayleave on an industrial site at Waterswallows Lane, Buxton.
  • Isabella also acted for successful appellants at a number of other planning inquiries, including BioPark, Welwyn Garden City (289 homes) and Rustington Golf Course, Angmering (linked appeals for 191 and 167 homes).

Isabella’s court experience includes:

  • R (University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust) v Harborough District Council [2023] EWHC 263 (Admin): The first and leading case on section 106 contributions sought by NHS trusts for the provision of NHS services. Isabella acted for Leicestershire County Council, which had been granted planning permission for a mixed-use scheme in Lutterworth (including 2,750 homes), led by Zack Simons. The Trust’s challenge to the permission was dismissed following a two-day hearing in the High Court in December 2022.
  • R (Soilleux) v Secretary of State [2023] EWHC 204 (Admin): A challenge to a planning permission granted in 2017 and to reserved matters approved under that permission in 2022, raising issues in relation to flood risk. The challenge was refused permission following a day-long hearing in February 2023. Isabella acted for the developer, led by Richard Turney.
  • R (Tesco Stores Ltd) v Allerdale BC [2022] EWHC 2827 (Admin): A challenge to a grant of planning permission for a new Lidl store in Workington, Cumbria, focusing on the interpretation of relevant local plan policies. Isabella acted for Lidl, led by Sasha White KC. Tesco’s claim was dismissed following a hearing in the High Court in October 2022.
  • As sole counsel, Isabella obtained an injunction to restrain the residential occupation of agricultural land and requiring the removal of caravans.

Isabella provides advice to clients at all stages of the planning process, from pre-app through to court challenge. Her recent instructions have covered a wide range of issues, including Lawful Development Certificates, Environmental Impact Assessments, Neighbourhood Plans, and Enforcement Notices. She has also:

  • Drafted an objection to an application for planning permission for a commercial heliport on behalf of a major petrochemical company
  • Made representations to the Information Commissioner’s Office on behalf of a land promoter, following a local planning authority’s failure to disclose information about its Regulation 18 Local Plan.

Public and Administrative

Isabella has been instructed as a junior in a number of claims for judicial review, acting for claimants, defendants and interested parties. This includes claims concerned with the funding of NHS trusts, the regulation of onshore fracking, and the compensation scheme for sub-postmasters affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal.

During her time as a Judicial Assistant at the Supreme Court, Isabella gained experience of a wide range of public law and human rights issues, including in:

  • Heathrow Airport Ltd v Friends of the Earth [2020] UKSC 52 (on the Government’s approach to international climate change commitments when designating the Airports National Policy Statement).
  • R (Begum) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 7 (on the rights of an individual deprived of British citizenship after traveling to Syria and aligning with ISIS).
  • R (SC) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2021] UKSC 26 (on the compatibility of the two-child benefit cap with articles 8 and 14 of the ECHR).
  • R (AB) v Secretary of State for Justice [2021] UKSC 28 (on the compatibility of the solitary confinement of a child in custody with article 3 of the ECHR)
  • Reference by the Attorney General and the Advocate General for Scotland – United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill [2021] UKSC 41 (on whether the UNCRC Bill was within the competence of the Scottish Parliament).
  • R (Majera) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UJSC 46 (on the obligation of Government to comply with court orders, even if invalid on their face).
  • R (Elan-Cane) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 56 (on the compatibility of the Secretary of State’s policy not to grant gender-neutral passports with articles 8 and 14 of the ECHR).

Isabella has a particular interest in public law claims with a retained EU law dimension, having taught the undergraduate course in EU law at various colleges of the University of Cambridge over the last five years.  Before coming to the Bar, Isabella also spent a year as a Research Assistant at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, where her work focused on the principal legislation which now governs the relationship between UK and EU law: the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. 

Environment

Isabella is building a broad environmental practice, covering Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitats issues in particular.

She is currently acting for a number of farmers objecting to the revocation of their groundwater abstraction licences by the Environment Agency, led by Tim Mould KC.

Isabella gained experience of a range of environmental law matters during her time as a Judicial Assistant at the Supreme Court, including in:

  • Heathrow Airport Ltd v Friends of the Earth [2020] UKSC 52 (on the Government’s approach to international climate change commitments when designating the Airports National Policy Statement)
  • CPRE Kent v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2021] UKSC [2021] UKSC 36 (on the application of the Aarhus costs cap when permission to bring an environmental challenge is refused).

Isabella has a particular interest in environmental cases with a retained EU law dimension, having taught the undergraduate course in EU law at various colleges of the University of Cambridge over the last five years. Before coming to the Bar, Isabella also spent a year as a Research Assistant at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, where her work focused on the principal legislation which now governs the relationship between UK and EU law: the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

  • Magdalene College, University of Cambridge (BA Law)
  • St John’s College, University of Oxford (BCL)
  • BPP, London (BPTC)

Awards

Academic scholarships and prizes

  • Lord Denning Scholarship and Accommodation Award (Lincoln’s Inn, 2016)
  • Daniel Slifkin Scholarship (St John’s College, Oxford, 2015)
  • Bundy Scholarship (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2015)
  • Orlando Bridgman Prize for Law (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2015)
  • Norah Dias Memorial Prize for Law (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2014)
  • College Prize and Scholarship (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2013, 2014 and 2015)
  • Leslie Wilson Prize (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2013 and 2014)
  • Hogan Lovells Prize (Magdalene College, Cambridge, 2013)

Mooting

  • Joint winner of the Herbert Smith Freehills Disability Mooting Championship (University of Oxford, 2015)
  • Winner of the Quadrant Chambers Fledglings Mooting Competition (University of Cambridge, 2015)
  • Joint winner of the XXIV Old Buildings Speed Mooting Competition (University of Cambridge, 2014)

Practice Managers

Contact our friendly and helpful Practice Managers for more information about our barristers and services or to make an enquiry.

Richard Bolton new

Richard Bolton

Senior Practice Manager

0207 421 1392

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020 7421 1303

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