Local Authorities Invited to Specialist Training on Judicial Review Risks in Planning Decisions - 4-5 Gray's Inn Square

Planning officers and legal teams across multiple local authorities are being invited to attend a specialist training webinar on Judicial Review (JR) risks in planning, taking place on 14 April.

The session, titled “Judicial Review in Planning: Managing Risk in Permissions, Refusals and Enforcement Decisions,” will provide a practical and timely overview of how JR challenges arise within the planning system and what authorities can do to minimise exposure to legal challenge.

Judicial review remains one of the most significant legal risks facing planning authorities, particularly in decisions involving permissions, refusals, enforcement action and development plan policies. The training will focus on how and why claims are brought, the latest trends in planning litigation, and the common grounds of challenge relied upon by claimants.

Participants will also gain insight into the procedural pitfalls that most often lead to successful challenges, as well as strategies to strengthen decision-making processes and improve the defensibility of planning decisions.

The webinar will be delivered by Vivienne Sedgley and Ben Scantlebury, both barristers at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, who bring extensive experience in planning law and judicial review litigation.

The session is designed for planning officers, enforcement teams, policy planners, and in-house legal advisers, offering practical guidance that can be directly applied to day-to-day decision-making.

By attending, local authorities will be better equipped to:

• Identify and mitigate JR risk in planning decisions

• Apply robust reasoning and procedural fairness

• Avoid common legal pitfalls

• Defend planning decisions if challenged

With judicial review continuing to shape the planning landscape, this focused training provides an important opportunity for authorities to build resilience and legal confidence in their planning functions.