David H Fletcher
Call 1971 (Gray’s Inn)
Qualifications MA (Cantab), Scholar of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Lord Justice Hankey Scholar of Gray’s Inn, Lecturer in Public & Administrative Law, Bristol University 1967-1972
Professional Memberships Planning & Environmental Bar Association (PEBA)
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Area of Practice
David Fletcher has a substantial practice in Planning & Local Government Law, Environmental Law, Licensing, Judicial Review, Housing, Discrimination and Education Law. Over the years he has been engaged in a number of leading reported cases in the House of Lords and Court of Appeal on behalf of public authorities in the fields of Judicial Review, Housing and Discrimination law, and he has recently been heavily engaged in a series of educational negligence cases, including the recently reported leading decision of the Court of Appeal in Devon County Council – v Clarke [2005] EWCA Civ. 19. David has also been extensively engaged in recent years in a series of high profile gypsy/traveller cases both in the High Court and at Planning Inquiries, including the Minety Gypsy Inquiry at North Wiltshire. He lectures on planning and public law topics to local authorities and for local government training purposes.
- Statutory Appeals to High Court and Judicial Review of Planning, Education and other Local Authority decisions
- Advising on and/or attending Public Inquiries in relation to Residential, Commercial and Leisure Developments, and Gypsy Inquiries
- Applications for Planning Injunctions on behalf of Local Authorities including gypsy/traveller cases
- Listed Building/Conservation Area appeals
- Enforcement Notice appeals
- Human Rights cases
- Local Plan Inquiries
- Highway and Rights of Way Inquiries
- Housing appeals and Housing Judicial Review
- Environmental Health prosecutions
- Educational needs statutory appeals and educational negligence
- Licensing appeals, including taxi licensing and liquor licensing
Major Inquiries and Cases Undertaken
Housing
- Tetbury, Lechlade : Cotswold DC
- Nailsea, Wrington, Winscombe : North Somerset DC
- Tiverton : Mid Devon DC
- Tewkesbury :
- Norton St Philip : Mendip DC
- Wootton Bassett : North Wiltshire DC
Retail
- Superstore Inquiry, Cornwall
- Fast Food Outlet Inquiry, Restormel BC
Local Plan Inquiries
- Forest of Dean DC
- Taunton Deane BC
- West Wiltshire DC
Commercial and major urban redevelopment
- Dock redevelopment scheme, Portbury, Bristol
- Gloucester Quays redevelopment Inquiry (2005)
High Court Injunctions and Gypsy/traveller inquiries
- Minety Gypsy inquiry, North Wiltshire DC (2005)
- North Somerset gypsy inquiries (Moor Lane (2005 – 2006)
- East Devon gypsy inquiry
Judicial Review
- Application to quash Secretary of State’s order staying implementation of Forest of Dean Local Plan (2005)
Highway Inquiries
- Village by-pass, Wiltshire
- Road Closure Order, Cheltenham Ring Road Inquiry
- Town by-pass Inquiry, Blackwood, South Wales
- Right of Way Inquiry, Dorset
Licensing
- Taxi Licensing Inquiries, Plymouth
- ‘Walkabout’ Licensing Appeal, Bournemouth
Education
- Series of educational negligence cases in High Court and Court of Appeal
- SENDIST appeals and Judicial Review
Recommendations
- Legal 500 (2009) – recommended for licensing and judicial review.
- Legal 500 (2007) – David Fletcher ‘takes complex instructions, but is easy to work with and has a keen sense of humour’.
