Call: 1992
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Brendon Moorhouse is an established environmental, planning and regulatory barrister, acting as both leading counsel and senior-junior counsel in cases throughout England and Wales.
He is regularly instructed in large-scale criminal waste and water cases that include some of the biggest prosecutions in the country.
He is also instructed in significant environmental permitting cases as well as dealing with public inquiry work on projects such as Hinkley C cooling system marine permit conditions, Bristol Airport expansion and the then proposed M4 motorway extension around Newport. He has extensive practical experience dealing with Habitats and Marine Regulation.
Brendon Moorhouse is frequently instructed in planning appeals and enforcement cases including those with wider environmental concerns such as the UK’s largest unlawful AD plant and alleged condition breaches for a gas peaking plant.
Experienced in nuisance cases, he has been instructed to represent clients ranging from a motor manufacturing plant, a power station to a metal smelting plant.
Environment
“Brendon has excellent all-round knowledge of the workings of the Environment Agency and the planning regime. He is very client-friendly and a great strategist.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022]
“He has three key qualities: the ability to look at the bigger picture and focus on critical points within that picture, the ability to sift through a vast amount of detail, and real excellence in cross-examination.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022] – Ranked Band 1 on the Western Circuit
Waste
Regarded as a leading expert in waste law, with experience in dealing with all aspects of waste law including the largest criminal cases in England and Wales (and proceeds of crime applications), trans-frontier shipment, permitting issues and alleged unlawful deposits of waste.
Inland Water
Brendon Moorhouse has considerable experience dealing with freshwater issues including criminal cases involving pollution and permit breaches, DWI cases, drought permits and permitting generally.
Marine
He is regularly instructed in cases involving marine environmental law including dredging permit appeals, abstraction permits and cases involving marine protected areas. Instructions have included cases to do with Hinkley C nuclear power station, harbour commissioners capital dredging projects and from leading marine environmental NGOs.
Nuisance
Brendon Moorhouse has experience in dealing with statutory and private nuisance claims and prosecutions/enforcement.
Planning
“Brendon has excellent all-round knowledge of the workings of the Environment Agency and the planning regime. He is very client-friendly and a great strategist.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022]
Instructions have included the Bristol Airport public Inquiry, the proposed M4 Newport Highways development as well as numerous planning inquiries and hearings.
Brendon Moorhouse is regularly instructed in cases involving habitats and wildlife issues including both terrestrial and marine planning cases.
He also has considerable experience in criminal planning enforcement cases.
Recommendations
"Brendon understand complex incidents and infrastructure quickly and handles with ease difficult and voluminous cases. He has excellent people skills as well as an encyclopaedic knowledge of environmental law, especially waste and large water company cases. In court he is calm but incisive and tenacious – a future silk."
― Legal 500 [2024]"A first choice in any serious or technically complex case, his preparation is methodical and exemplary, and his advocacy is calm, persuasive and unruffled."
― Legal 500 [2023]"Brendon has excellent all-round knowledge of the workings of the Environment Agency and the planning regime. He is very client-friendly and a great strategist."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022]"He has three key qualities: the ability to look at the bigger picture and focus on critical points within that picture, the ability to sift through a vast amount of detail, and real excellence in cross-examination."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022] - Ranked Band 1 on the Western Circuit"Brendon's strengths are his ability to think on his feet, his client friendly nature and his overall encyclopaedic knowledge of the regulatory regime. He is very easy to work with, practical and pragmatic and has a good grasp of the subject matter."
― Legal 500 - Ranked Tier 1 on the Western Circuit"A highly regarded junior with particular expertise in environmental law and regulatory matters. He has a wealth of experience of handling noise abatement, marine and watercourse pollution, waste packaging and illegal deposits of waste cases. He is also well known for his work on conservation matters. He is experienced appearing for his clients in public inquiries."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide - Ranked Band 1 on the Western CircuitAppointments
- ‘A’ List Counsel List on the Attorney General’s specialist Health and Safety and Environmental Panel
- CPS Specialist Panels – Serious Crime, Proceeds of Crime and Fraud
- Visiting Research Fellow in Environmental Law at University of West of England
- Trustee of the Conservation Collective
Education
LLB (Hons)
Latest news
7th December 2023
A Practical Guide to Habitats Law in Planning and Permitting in England by Brendon Moorhouse
Brendon Moorhouse is one of chambers' leading environmental and planning barristers. He is regularly instructed in habitat and wildlife related matters and is frequently instructed in high profile permitting and planning related cases. He is a contributing author to Garner’s Environmental Law. A visiting research fellow and external member of the University of West of England’s environmental law faculty, he is also a trustee and member of the global advisory panel of the Conservation Collective charity.
26th April 2022
Dogger Bank marine protection to be increased
Brendon Moorhouse, supporting the Blue Marine Foundation legal challenge, helped secure increased protection for an important Marine Protected Area.
29th October 2021
Six Pump Court welcomes Brendon Moorhouse
Six Pump Court is pleased to announce that specialist environmental and regulatory law barrister Brendon Moorhouse has joined Chambers.
Events
23rd February 2023
The Office for Environmental Protection Event
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) was created under the UK Environment Act 2021. The OEP is a new public body that aims to protect and improve the environment by holding government and other public authorities to account. This event will feature a talk by Christopher Badger followed by a Panel discussion and Q&A with William Upton KC and Brendon Moorhouse.
Blog
7th September 2022
Environmental Law News Update
In this latest Environmental Law News Update, Charles Morgan, Brendon Moorhouse and Natasha Hausdorff consider DEFRA's plan for storm overflows, water discharge permits in the Hinkley C Appeal, and how companies can improve their ESG data for effective decision-making.
9th November 2021
Environmental Law News Update
In this latest Environmental Law News Update, Charles Morgan, Gordon Wignall and Brendon Moorhouse consider sewage discharges from overflows, the role of the Human Rights Act in the Silverdale Quarry case, and the need for climate policy to be built into the planning process.
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