November 27th, 2025
ELF Member Spotlight: Ned Westaway
Ned Westaway is a barrister specialising in environmental and planning law at FTB Chambers in London. He is on the Attorney General’s A Panel of counsel, is a former chair of the UK Environmental Law Association and is an Honorary Associate Professor at UCL.
Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to specialize in environmental law?
I went to ordinary (State comprehensive) school in Lewes in Sussex and my first love was languages. I studied Greek and Latin at UCL and didn’t really think about law until my last year of university when I had a ‘vision’ of sorts that the ancient languages had been lost overnight, but it didn’t even register as a news item! After that, I wanted to put my efforts into something more tangible, and decided to pursue environmental law – though it took a while further to work out how to do it.
What motivated you to join ELF?
ELF used to run an internship programme when they were based at Hatton Gardens. I applied for it and was accepted. So for three months that summer, I stayed in London with a friend and did some part time work for three days a week, and ELF for the other two. I was introduced to barristers through ELF’s advice and referral work – including some (now) colleagues at FTB – and I decided to get on with it. I enrolled (last minute) on the law conversion course at Sussex Uni.
So, remaining a member of ELF since has always seemed very natural.
How has working with the Environmental Law Foundation influenced your career and professional development?
See above! ELF was really important in the direction I took both generally and in environmental law. It has encouraged me to think about environmental law through the lens of environmental justice and wider public participation.
Can you share a memorable case or project you worked on through ELF that had a significant impact on the community or the environment?
I’ve done a few, but the most memorable may be a claim for the Sussex Wildlife Trust – who I don’t think had ever litigated before – against a decision of the South Downs National Park Authority to build flood defences to protect houses at the ecologically sensitive site of Cuckmere Haven. The houses are beautiful (and in a beautiful location), but they are eroding into the sea, like the whole of the coast here. When they were built they were far from the cliff edge. So, the claim was about accepting natural processes and respecting nature, or putting in hard engineering to preserve an outpost of built development in a changing landscape. In the end the NPA did not contest the claim as it was sufficiently clear that the environmental assessments done under the EIA Regulations, Habitats Regulations and the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 were legally inadequate. This is one of the few cases I have done where I was very familiar with the subject matter of the claim, which – I think – is why Emma at ELF (who now lives in Lewes, where I grew up) asked me to do it.
What are some of the unique opportunities or advantages you’ve experienced as a member of ELF compared to other professional networks or organisations?
I don’t think of ELF as particularly exclusive, or having offered me special benefits as a member, but I did once meet (then) Prince Charles through ELF! More generally, it is a great network of people, doing great work that it is good to be involved with and support. In the early part of my career, it gave me exposure to interesting pro bono case work and continues to provide an important link to public and community concerns.
In your opinion, why should other legal professionals consider joining the Environmental Law Foundation, and what advice would you give to those who are interested in pursuing a career in environmental law?
Environmental law and justice are inseparable. ELF is therefore not an ‘outsider’ organisation, but at the heart of our environmental law. It is also a membership organisation that depends for its strength and direction on its members. So, if you are an environmental lawyer who has not yet joined, you might want to ask why! For those interested in pursuing a career in environmental law, I’d say be open and be creative – the Earth’s still going to be here tomorrow and it needs your care.