George Bartlett QC was President of the Lands Tribunal and its successor the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber from 1998 to 2012. During the 14 years of his Presidency he decided the great majority of cases of importance in the Tribunal jurisdictions. He also sat as a Deputy High Court Judge from 1994 to 2012, mainly determining planning cases in the Administrative Court.
After reading law at Oxford (MA) George Bartlett was called to the Bar in the Middle Temple in 1966 and became a Bencher in 1995. Until his appointment as President of the Lands Tribunal in 1998 he was in practice at 2 Mitre Court Buildings at the Planning and Parliamentary Bar, becoming a QC in 1986. He appeared at public inquiries and in other proceedings relating to major infrastructure projects and other development proposals as well as in the Lands Tribunal in compensation and rating cases. He was an editor of Ryde on Rating.
On his retirement as a judge in 2012 he joined Francis Taylor Building as an arbitrator. From 2013 he has also been an Appeal Board Chairman of the British Horseracing Authority. His experience in Arbitration and other ADR includes the following:
An Arbitration of a multi-million $ claim in a British Overseas Territory. The claim was for compensation for losses sustained in consequence of statutory powers to acquire land. George Bartlett was appointed by the Governor as a member of an arbitral panel of three. After procedural disputes between the parties the arbitration was eventually terminated by order of the court.
An Early Neutral Evaluation relating to a dispute between an English university and a local authority in relation to statutory rating relief on parts of the university’s estate. Following a hearing a full reasoned Recommendation was given.
An Arbitration as sole arbitrator under a grant of an easement for a gas pipeline between a major industrial concern and the gas utility company. The issue was whether there was an entitlement to pursue a claim for compensation in relation to a major factory extension that had received planning permission but was prevented by the presence of the pipeline. Two hearings were held, the second involving complex factual and expert evidence, and full reasoned awards were given.