Robert Walton KC

Call: 1999

Silk: 2019

Robert undertakes work for private developers, central and local government, public bodies, private objectors and interest groups.

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Barristers

Robert Walton KC

Practice summary

Planning

Environment

Public and Administrative

Cross-practice

Practice Summary

Robert is consistently rated as one the top planning barristers in the UK in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners directories.

The latest edition of the Legal 500 describes Robert as, “Astute and highly commercial. Fantastic with clients. Able to distil highly complex legal issues into crystal clear strategic advice. Undoubtedly one of the very best in his field and a pleasure to instruct and work with”.

Planning

Robert’s planning work principally focuses on advising clients in preparation for, and appearing at public inquiries, hearings and in the higher courts. He also advises clients on all aspects of planning law, including policy formulation, development control and enforcement.

Public Law

Robert has a wide ranging public law practice including all aspects of judicial review / statutory challenges, challenging and defending decisions of central and local government as well as other bodies whose decisions are amenable to challenge in the courts.

Environment

Robert’s environmental work covers all aspects of environmental law, including regulatory and enforcement work.

Compulsory Purchase and Compensation

Robert’s compulsory purchase work centres on advising and representing acquiring authorities in respect of the making and securing of compulsory purchase orders.  He also acts for private objectors to CPO schemes.  Robert specialises in compensation work, both for compensating authorities and claimants.

Planning

Robert works across the full spectrum of planning law, including policy formulation, promotion of development schemes and enforcement.  Examples include:

Policy formulation

Notable caseload includes:

  • Advice / promotion through EiP in respect of Core Strategies / DPDs: Eastbourne; Hastings; West Berkshire; Wokingham; North Yorkshire; South Oxfordshire; Hastings, Harrogate.

Promotion of development schemes

  • Employment: Paddington Cube (Sellar Property Group), Severnside (Severnside Distribution Land Limited), Cuerden Strategic Site (Eric Wright Group), 500 White Hart Lane (Tottenham Hotspur), Welton Bibby (Midsomer Norton Retail Estates Ltd); Finsbury Tower, (Finsbury Tower Estates Ltd) Great Malborough Street (Hendersons).
  • Energy from Waste: new plants at Shrewsbury, Cardiff and Bristol; Integrated Waste Recycling Facility, Berkshire.
  • Heritage: Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site; Spitalfields regeneration; USAF Upper Heyford; the Gherkin; Waterloo regeneration; Elephant and Castle regeneration; residential development in Bath City Centre.
  • Housing: Very extensive experience of promoting open market and affordable housing schemes across the country , e.g. 1,000 unit mixed used scheme in London, 600 unit scheme in Stevenage.  Very extensive experience of promoting smaller schemes, e.g. 150 units in Wiltshire.  Very extensive experience of promoting specialist housing and care facilities for numerous operators, including in the Green Belt in e.g. Cheshire and Solihull.
  • Housing allocations: Berkhamsted (35 hectare urban extension site); Cole Green (proposed urban extension to Welwyn Garden City); Exmouth (350 dwellings, 1.5ha employment land); Brandon; Axminster; Liphook; Petersfield, South Oxfordshire.
  • Paragraph 80 houses: Surrey, Cornwall.
  • Hydrocarbons / Oil: West Sussex, Derbyshire.
  • Incineration: Addenbrookes Hospital.
  • Mining: Coal: Thoresbury Colliery (UK Coal); Portland Stone: (Portland); Potash (North Yorks, £1.7bn mine).
  • Transport Infrastructure: Metrolink Manchester (Trafford Line extension, TWA application); Trolleybus scheme, Leeds (TWA application).
  • Retail: retail outlet centres Scotch Corner; J27 M5; retail: Blossom Street London (British Land), Eden Walk Richmond (British Land).
  • Stadiums: Tottenham, Arsenal.
  • Tourist destination facilities: Eden Westwood J27, M5.
  • Wind farms: North Norfolk (off shore), Powys (on shore).

Compulsory Purchase and Compensation

Notable caseload includes:

Planning Enforcement and Injunctions

Enforcement notice / stop notices in respect of: change of use from retail to residential; cessation of scrap yard use; removal of island from a lake; demolition of “Class E” outhouse; alteration of dwellinghouse roof; cessation of restaurant use; removal of marquee; removal of stables; removal of houseboat; demolition of residential extension; cessation of residential use; cessation of garden use; removal of static caravans; cessation of equestrian use; and demolition of house.Injunctions: R (Cherkley Campaign Ltd) v Mole Valley DC [2014] EWCA Civ 567; Trillium v Tower Hamlets LBC [2011] EWHC 560 (Admin); West Sussex County Council v Lawson Hunt Developments Ltd [2011] Claim no: HC10CO1901.Revocation / modification orders: eg Portland Stone Firms Ltd v Dorset County Council [2015].

Environment

Notable examples of Robert's environmental work:

  • Advising Utilities Company in relation to claim for minerals compensation pursuant to Schedule 14 of the Water Industry Act 1991.
  • Compulsory Purchase under the Water Industry Act 1991.
  • Energy from waste incinerator at Addenbrookes Hospital.
  • Enforcement action by Council, in conjunction with Environment Agency, in respect of industrial use of greenfield site in Wokingham.
  • Habitats: Gatwick Airport, Ashdown Forest SAC.
  • Noise abatement proceedings in respect of the East London Line Extension; noise impact case in relation to summertime concerts at the Emirates Stadium, London.
  • Pollution prevention proceedings in respect of sewage discharge from caravan park.
  • Environment Agency proceedings in respect of Oak Processionary Moths.
  • Building Act 1984 proceedings in respect of demolition of Billingham House, Middlesbrough.
  • Minerals extraction: Guildford, Nottinghamshire, West Berkshire, Somerset.
  • Waste schemes at Newbury, Shrewsbury, Bristol, Cardiff and Guildford
  • Wastewater Treatment Works, East Sussex.

Public and Administrative

Robert has extensive experience of judicial review and statutory challenges in relation to national and local governmental decisions, in particular in relation to planning and environmental law. Examples include:

  • Acting for developer, defending judicial review challenge to grant of planning permission for new green belt sports facilities
  • Acting for local residents challenging Council’s decision to grant planning permission for basement development in London
  • Acting for local planning authority defending challenge brought to Council’s decision to adopt development plan
  • Acting for developer defending statutory review proceedings brought in respect of Inspector’s decision to grant planning permission for new school facilities
  • Acting for Council in respect of judicial review of decision to grant planning permission for new theatre and council offices
  • Acting for developer defending challenge to grant of permission for major mixed use scheme in central London
  • Acting for developer defending judicial review of Secretary of State’s decision not to call in major planning application
  • Acting for developer defending judicial review of Council’s decision to grant permission for major mixed used scheme in London
  • Acting for developer defending judicial review of Council’s decision to grant permission for new housing scheme in London
  • Acting for Council resisting statutory challenge to Inspector’s decision to grant planning permission for hydrocarbon exploration in highly sensitive landscape.

Cross-practice

Landmark's barristers often work at the intersection of our core practice areas; bringing a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to bear on a particular dispute or issue facing a client.

Our focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for our client. By viewing the client's objectives in a holistic way - and not purely through the lens of one rigidly-defined legal area - we deliver the best possible advice and representation in complex matters that engage multiple specialist areas of law. 

Whether it's providing support as an individual cross-practice barrister or a cross-disciplinary team of Landmark counsel, we are able to draw on an outstanding array of complementary skillsets and knowledge bases. This often achieves a better result than instructing multiple barristers from different specialist sets. This also improves the quality of client care through increased levels of communication, quicker response times, and a coordinated approach to clerking and fees, made possible by our team-based cross-practice approach.

Please contact our practice management team for more information.

Energy

Highways and Rights of Access

Local Government

Specialisms

Compulsory Purchase and Compensation

Planning Enforcement and Injunctions

Commercial/Retail

Development Contribution: Section 106 and CIL

Development Plans and other planning policy

Energy

Environment

Green Belt

Heritage

Highways, Footpaths and Rights of Way

Infrastructure

Marine Planning and Harbour Orders

Minerals and Waste

Neighbourhood Planning

Planning Appeals, Inquiries and Hearings

Planning Judicial and Statutory Reviews

Residential

Transport Orders and Parliamentary Bills

Specialisms

Agricultural Law

Air Quality

Ecology and Biodiversity

Energy

Environmental Assessment (Environmental Outcomes)

Environmental Enforcement

Environmental information

Environmental Regulation

Habitats and Species

Nuisance

Pollution and Contaminated Land

Protection of the Countryside

Utilities

Waste

Water

Wildlife

Specialisms

Energy and Utilities

EU Law post-Brexit

High Court Planning

Highways and Public Rights of Access

Judicial Review

Local Government including Local Government Finance

National Security

NHS, Health and Community Care

Procurement and Subsidy Control

Property Judicial Review

Protest Law

Public Inquiries and Inquests

Social Security

Specialisms

Energy

Highways and Rights of Access

Local Government

"
Undoubtedly one of the very best in his field."

Legal 500

Firm Logo 3 UK Leading silk 2025 The Planning Law Survey 2024

Personal Highlights

Qualifications and achievements

Qualifications

  • Scholar at BPP Law School
  • History and English Literature at Edinburgh University, being awarded an MA(Hons) in 1995

Scholarships

  • Awarded a major scholarship by Lincoln’s Inn before being called to the Bar in 1999.

Memberships

  • Case reviewer for the Bar Pro Bono unit
  • Compulsory Purchase Association
  • Council of the Inns of Court’s Disciplinary Tribunal
  • Inns Conduct Committee Panel
  • Planning and Environmental Bar Association

Publications

Recommendations

  • "Robert is at the top of his game. Client facing and very friendly. He is sensible but always gives highly commercial advice. He goes the extra mile."

    Planning, Legal 500, 2025

  • "Robert provides commercially sound advice considering the wider picture." "He is really approachable and very clear in his advice." "Robert is very collegiate with instructing solicitors, and also very clear on the risks to clients."

    Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2024

  • "Rob is technically excellent but pragmatic and practical, clear, responsive and firm."

    Planning, Legal 500, 2024

  • "Robert Walton is consistently excellent and very user-friendly." "Rob has been brilliant, commercially aware, astute and highly capable." "Robert is brilliant with clients and professional teams. He provides excellent commercial advice delivered with good humour; a real team player." "He has a disarming manner as an advocate."

    Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2023

  • "Robert is commercially astute, user-friendly, clear and concise in his legal points and very helpful.' 'Robert is very approachable, calm, and efficient. He has excellent advocacy skills."

    Planning, Legal 500, 2023

  • "His speed of thought and turnaround of written work are phenomenal." "Robert is responsive, efficient and robust in his approach."

    Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2022

  • "Highly personable and very hands-on; easy to work with and a source of sensible and commercial views in practical advice – but always based on good legal analysis."

    Planning, Legal 500, 2022

  • "He can get on with a large team and is very communicative and easy to work with." "A very knowledgeable barrister who deals with clients and opponents in a pleasant, approachable manner."

    Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2021

  • "Astute and highly commercial. Fantastic with clients. Able to distil highly complex legal issues into crystal clear strategic advice. Undoubtedly one of the very best in his field and a pleasure to instruct and work with."

    Legal 500, 2021

  • "He gets in the thick of things, rolls up his sleeves and mucks in, and is very collaborative", and "He is very proactive and just brilliant at getting to the nub of the issue."

    Planning, Chambers and Partners, 2020

  • "An absolute class act who … just reads situations very well" and "thorough, articulate and brilliant at explaining complex legal situations. He has solid technical knowledge and good tactical ideas, and is also very approachable."

    Legal Directories

Practice Managers

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

Kevin Squires

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Jason Allen

Senior Practice Manager
Kevin Squires New background

Kevin Squires

Senior Practice Manager

020 7421 1351

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Jason Allen

Senior Practice Manager

020 7421 1306

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