Administrative Law or Judicial Review
Planning
Public Inquiries
Richard Kimblin KC is described in the Legal 500 as a ‘Tier 1’ silk: “An exceptional talent with a formidable intellect.” His skill set is in:
Vigorously and forensically testing and clarifying technically and legally complex issues and resolving them in order to advance he client’s objectives;Assimilating and marshalling large amounts of material for inquiries and trials, leading the project team to deliver value; Exchanging experience between areas of work: inquiry to court; court to inquiry; one jurisdiction to another, having a very wide range of experience of cases of the most substantial kind and wider significance.
He believes very strongly in truly independent advice and fearless advocacy for any client, no matter what their role or interest.
Notable work during the last 12 months includes:
Supreme Court – (Wolverhampton v Persons Unknown) infrastructure; injunctions; protest; persons unknown
Court of Appeal -(Cuciurean) human rights; fair trial; contempt
Administrative Court – (Cameron) quashing a consent for major development on six grounds;defending important infrastructure to support an allocation for 6000 dwellings
Appeals – (Yorkshire/Oxfordshire) a very tall industrial building;contentious amenity issues linked to strong economic and public benefit cases such Jeremy Clarkson’s appeals in respect of Diddly Squat Farm and shop Advisory- significant minerals planning, minerals rights, habitats regulations, EIA, noise, flood risk Environmental - water industry, permitting, statutory undertakers powers, offences.
By background, Richard’s first career was in the sciences, obtaining a PhD in 1991, working on EU law reform and major infrastructure. He then came to the bar in England and Wales in 1998. He established strong practices at inquiry and in the Administrative Court, being appointed to the Attorney General’s panels for a decade before taking silk in 2016. He has been appointed a Deputy High Court Judge. He was called to the bar in Northern Ireland in 2024.
Over thirty of his appearances have been in the Court of Appeal. He is presently instructed: on behalf of an interested party on housing requirement issues; on behalf of HS2 in the Court of Appeal’s consideration of injunctive relief against persons unknown; nutrient/SAC issues; Water Framework Regulations issues.
Richard has advised and appeared at examination in respect of many strategic sites in the bracket of 2,000 to 10,000 homes, in the urban area, the open countryside and the Green Belt. He has advised and appeared for promoters and local authorities in a wide variety of planning circumstances
Richard’s minerals work is predominantly in advising and appearing at inquiry for contentious schemes. This is accompanied by complex advisory work on ROMPs, highways, EIA, and Mines Working Facilities and Support Act cases (MWFSA). Many of his cases have been concerned with National Parks. He has advised and appeared at public inquiry in respect of EfW and landfill cases where the issues have been Green Belt impacts, odour, air quality and need.
His work has included the full spectrum of minerals proposals: hard rock; sand and gravel; chalk; cement; high PSV sites; solution mining; precious metal; polyhalite; energy minerals including coal, fracking, onshore oil and gas, offshore gas; gas storage.
He is presently instructed in public inquiries in England and Wales where the issues include highways impacts, blasting, noise and air quality. Recent work includes successful appeals in both hard rock and S&G contexts: Craig yr Hesg ; Bow Farm (with costs awarded).
In the High Court, he has brought and defended judicial reviews in minerals cases. He was instructed to obtain a rare order under the MWFSA: Re York Potash Ltd [2018] EWHC 3114 (Ch) and has advised over many years in this particular niche of minerals work.
Planning Appeals: Practice and Materials (Bloomsbury Professional)