Tom Henderson

He advises across the suite of consenting regimes, including development consent orders, transport and work orders, town and country planning, harbour orders and bills in Parliament.  He also advises across the full range of infrastructure sectors, including transport, energy and water.

Most recently Tom has concurrently led the legal teams on two of the UK’s biggest, complex and most high-profile and contentious projects, now consented and in delivery – the expansion of London Luton Airport, and the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC), the largest and most complex DCO ever promoted by National Highways.  

Tom advises on all aspects of the planning process including: planning strategy; site selection; case-making; consultation and engagement; policy compliance; environmental impact and habitats regulation assessment; compulsory acquisition and blight; applications; examinations and inquiries (including as an advocate); and judicial reviews.

Tom is also a leading UK expert on road user charging, and is dual qualified as a barrister and solicitor.

Jurisdiction: England & Wales

• National Highways: advised on the numerous highways NSIP projects, including Lower Thames Crossing, A556 Knutsford to Bowden, A19 Testo’s, and A19 Downhill Lane.

• Advising on major local authority highway promotions, including the M1 Junction 10a DCO (Luton Borough Council) and the Heysham to M6 Link Road (Lancashire County Council).

• Advising DfT on the Heathrow Expansion Programme.

• Advising South Tees Development Corporation on the Net Zero Teesside and H2Teesside projects.

• Advising MHCLG on planning reforms.

• Advising East West Rail on various aspects of the NSIP promotion.

• Advising National Grid on the Hinkley Connection Project.

• Advising Transport for London on the Northern Line Extension, Silvertown Tunnel, Crossrail 2 and the Rotherhithe Crossing.

• Advising numerous transport / local authorities on road user charging, clean air charging zones and workplace parking levies in cities across the UK, including London, Oxford, Cambridge, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bath.

• Advising on statutory and discretionary blight schemes on HS2, Crossrail 2, LTC and Luton Airport.