George Laurence KC and Ross Crail successfully appear in R (Turnbull) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [2026] EWHC 1884 (Admin)

George Laurence KC and Ross Crail successfully acted for the Claimant in this important judicial review concerning the circumstances in which the court may intervene to prevent the making of a definitive map modification order under section 53 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The High Court granted permission to proceed on all grounds of challenge.

The judgment provides important guidance on the threshold for judicial intervention at the order-making stage, confirming that although intervention should be exercised sparingly where an alternative statutory remedy exists, it may nevertheless be justified where there is a clear and potentially dispositive error of law.

The full case note and judgment are available to read below.

Click here for case note

Click here for judgement