John Bosworth

Partner
T: +44 (0)1392 333842
F: +44 (0)1392 336842
j.bosworth@ashfords.co.uk

John specialises in planning, compulsory purchase, highways and regeneration.  He began his career as a lawyer in-house with two local authorities.  This was followed by five years at City law firm, Ashurst Morris Crisp, during which he spent six months on secondment to an urban development corporation client.  He has been a partner with Ashfords since 1997.

Examples of John's regeneration and CPO experience include the following:

• acting for SEEDA in connection with the compulsory acquisition of sites in Ashford, as part of the ODPM's sustainable communities initiative as well as regeneration compulsory purchase orders in Deal and Dover;
• advising the South West of England RDA in connection with proposals for compulsory purchase in the Camborne, Pool and Redruth regeneration area and in South Bristol;
  
• advising the Department of Health in connection with the redevelopment of over 20 redundant hospitals;
• acting for Chichester District Council on a town centre redevelopment scheme which relies upon CPO;
• advising West Berkshire Council in connection with the compulsory purchase of sites for waste processing;
• advising Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council in connection with the compulsory purchase of land for a lifelong learning centre;
• acting for the former Leeds Development Corporation in the land assembly (by CPO and by agreement) of the site which now forms the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds;
• acting for LDDC implementing many of the Corporation's CPOs for the construction of highways infrastructure, including service of notices to treat, the agreement of compensation claims and references to the Lands Tribunal, including certificates of appropriate alternate development;
• acting for the former Trafford Park Development Corporation in the drafting of its compulsory purchase order for the construction of a bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal;
• acting for the South West of England RDA in its development of Temple Quay, Bristol, including the proposed joint venture agreement for Temple Quay East with Railtrack and South West trains;
• acting for Central Sheffield University Hospitals NHS Trust in its compulsory acquisition of land for the extension of  the Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield;
• advising Greenwich Hospitals NHS Trust upon the use of CPO powers to acquire land necessary to enable hospital development proposals to proceed;
• advising LDDC in connection with many sites in London Docklands, including Canary Wharf, the Royal Docks, London Bridge City, the Limehouse Link tunnel, St Katherine's Dock and the Surrey Docks - including planning agreements and enterprize zone issues;
• acting for LDDC throughout in connection with the promotion of the LDDC Act and subsequent byelaws to regulate the water areas;
  
• advising LDDC in connection with the proposed undergrounding of powerlines in East London; and
  
• advising SWRDA upon the Government's proposals for reforming the compulsory purchase and compensation system.

John is a legal associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute, and a member of the RTPI's Regeneration Network.  He is a member of the CBI's Planning Sub-Committee and a Planning Aid volunteer.   In 2004 he was appointed by the ODPM to the Planning Inspectorate's Advisory Panel on Standards.  He has also taken part in advisory groups advising the DCLG upon the introduction of planning delivery contracts and the planning gain supplement and a recent Audit Commission study into the effective use of section 106 agreements.

John speaks regularly at conferences, both regional and national and has had articles published in the Property Law Journal, Estates Gazette, Planning, New Start, Regeneration Magazine and the Journal of Planning and Environment Law.  


Ranked as a leader in the field by Chambers 2010  


He is recognised as a leading expert in planning law by the Legal 500 and Chambers' Directory and is described in Chambers Legal Directory as a "balanced and approachable" lawyer who boasts an "impressive ability to deal with complex issues."