TIM GOODWIN

DIRECTOR

BSc (Hons) MSc MIEnvSc MIALE

For the last 38 years he has been involved with ecological planning, working on numerous high profile or complex development schemes throughout the UK and Europe. He is one of the few ecologists with extensive experience of detailed legal cases including High Court, Court of Appeal, Lands Tribunal and OLDs Appeals procedures. He has given evidence at numerous Section 78 Appeals; Call-in Inquiries, Local Plan Examinations, and has prepared and given evidence for select committee and in the High Court for Judicial Review. Tim remains a preferred expert witness for many solicitors, barristers and leading planning silks with over 70% of his personal work coming via recommendation from the UK’s leading legal firms or barristers’ chambers.
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Tim is known for his sound understanding of the European Directives and Habitat Regulations, having been involved in many of the major inquiries and legal cases.  Notable examples include Queen Elizabeth Barracks, a residential scheme for 972 new homes in proximity to the Thames Basin Heaths SPA; Warton BAE, the plan or project to shoot a proportion of the qualifying species in the SPA; a residential scheme in Exminster, where the grant of consent at inquiry was subject to challenges as to what constituted expert evidence (High Court and Appeal Court); and Lough Neagh, involving complex planning and legal issues of existing sand extraction within the SPA and Ramsar site.
   
Tim has extensive wildlife habitat survey and site assessment experience, involving significant consultation with statutory bodies in the UK and abroad. Not known for simply rolling over in the face of disagreements with the conservation lobby, he gives clients clear strategic advice and rarely pulls any punches. He is always committed to steering clients through the maze of ecological legislation necessary to get a planning consent.
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His environmental planning expertise includes mineral workings, water / flood alleviation schemes, new settlements, community forest proposals, leisure developments, highway proposals, land restoration schemes, peat extraction, golf and leisure proposals, wind farms, retail, and small and large residential strategic sites. His wide ecological expertise has seen him giving evidence on issues from Badgers, amphibians, Dormice, wetlands, ancient woodland, SPAs, SACs, Ramsar sites, SSSIs, marine and coastal ecosystems, tropical moist forests and southern European dwarf shrub habitat, as well as designing major wetland habitats.
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In the past his knowledge of international ecological issues has led to him being retained as a consultant with the Department of the Environment and HM Customs and Excise on both national and international legislation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 and Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

EXAMPLE PROJECTS