
Richard Broadbent
Director
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Richard was a solicitor at Natural England since 2010 and was the Head of Legal Services since 2017. Richard led on many of Natural England’s high-profile litigation and enforcement cases and provided advice to Natural England’s teams on the emergence of the Environment Act 2021 and Nature Green Paper. Richard is a highly distinguished environmental lawyer and has worked on a number of high-profile nationally significant infrastructure, planning, and species licencing cases. These include nuclear power stations, offshore windfarms, port developments and HS2.
Richard trained at Collyer Bristow LLP in London and holds an LLM in Environmental Law from UCL.
Legal Services
Environmental Law
- Richard defended Natural England against multiple judicial review challenges, including the challenges to Natural England’s bTB licences, Hen Harrier brood management trial licence(s) and a bat species licence issued to HS2.
- Richard worked with Natural England colleagues on Biodiversity Net Gain and the creation of the register/credit scheme which will facilitate mandatory net gain. Richard has also worked on payment for ecosystem services projects and nature-based market mechanisms.
- Richard has worked on a wide variety of nationally significant infrastructure projects, including HS2, Hinkley C and offshore windfarm cases.
- Richard worked on the designation of protected sites including the declaration of National Nature Reserves and notification of SSSIs.
- Richard advises on the impacts of diffuse pollution on protected sites and nutrient neutrality.
- Richard has worked on multiple environmental enforcement cases and appeals for SSSIs, species licence offences and under the EIA Agriculture Regulations.
- Richard has worked on several planning appeal cases involving landscape and visual impacts.
- Richard worked on secondment to the Law Commission on the creation of conservation covenants and with Defra on their inclusion in the Environment Act 2021.
Recent Work
- Richard has extensive experience working with Natural England and Defra on emerging environmental law, particularly the Environment Act 2021 and Nature Green Paper. Richard’s detailed understanding of policy priorities with regards the law and policy for nature conservation is of great benefit to his clients.
- Richard has extensive experience teaching environmental law to Natural England staff/Defra bodies as well as to undergraduate and post-graduate law students at UCL and Exeter University. Richard now works with Penny Simpson to deliver a range of courses for clients on environmental law topics.
Latest
- Freeths planning for success in Bristol with senior hire
- Nutrient Neutrality: Michael Gove’s proposed amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and the implications for developers
- Nutrient neutrality: a legal update webinar
- Overview of current and proposed steps for marine environmental law in the UK
- Nutrient Neutrality: Our ideas to solve the Habitats Regulations Assessment Nutrient Neutrality Crisis
- The High Court’s decision in the Fry case holds that habitats regulations assessment required at discharge of planning condition state
- Extra Date added – Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain: Legal Training Course for Local Planning Authorities in England
- Local authorities’ role in habitat banking to deliver biodiversity net gain
- Real Estate Blog: Countdown to BNG in November 2023
- Understanding Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain
- An introductory course to Wildlife Law for newly qualified environmental professionals in a development context
- Mandatory biodiversity net gain rules starting November 2023: Further information published by the Government on 21 February 2023
- Environmental Social & Governance policies – Net Zero Targets
- International biodiversity framework: a new international agreement to protect biodiversity and its implications for the UK Government’s approach to the natural capital economy
- Freeths launches innovative scheme to improve biodiversity in the UK
- Challenges for developers and opportunities for landowners: Nutrient Neutrality, Water Neutrality and the Natural Capital Economy
- Challenges for developers and opportunities for landowners: Biodiversity Net Gain and the Natural Capital Economy
- Conservation covenants for the delivery of sustainable development: a new era for environmental law in England
- An introductory course to Wildlife Law for newly qualified environmental professionals in a development context
- Top tips for dealing with habitats and species
- Freeths LLP recruits Richard Broadbent – Former Head of Legal Services at Natural England
To contact Richard or for more information…
Call: 0345 030 5820
Mobile: 0792 986 6356
Or email: Send an email
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