Planning for businesses

Our planning lawyers are deliberately part of our real estate team, as we recognise that often planning is not a discrete area but part of a wider commercial transaction.

We work closely with clients and their advisers, often from an early stage, so that planning proposals can be drawn up in a way most likely to achieve success. Our breadth of experience matches larger City firms and gives our clients an excellent yet extremely cost effective service.

We can help with:

• strategic planning advice
• compulsory purchase (promoting or objecting and negotiating compensation claims)
• planning applications, inquiries and appeals
• energy projects
• s106 agreements
• promotion agreements
• advice on implications of proposed neighbourhood plans for development proposals
• Community Infrastructure Levy issues
• environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessments (Habitat Regulations)
• judicial review and statutory challenges
• enforcement issues - criminal and civil proceeding including appeals
• highways agreements (s38 and s278 agreements)
• listed building and conservation area advice
• certificate of lawful development applications
• tree preservation orders
• modification and release of planning conditions
• planning aspects of due diligence on site acquisitions
• permitted development rights and prior approval applications (General Permitted Development Order 2015 applications)

We have a wide range of clients including strategic land owners, property developers, land promoters, charities, planning consultants, private individuals, financial institutions and energy companies which include Borough Market, Matalan and Perenco UK Limited and work on projects of all sizes across all of England and Wales.

Our planning lawyers, led by Alex Ground, are praised in The Legal 500 (2023) for their excellent client care and "open and collaborative" culture, which works "to the great benefit of client outcomes."

Charges are usually based on our hourly rates plus administrative charges and disbursements. We will provide you with an initial estimate of your likely legal costs and will update this as your requirements or the circumstances of the work change.

We may also be able to offer fixed priced options for clients depending on their budget and the size, type and complexity of the work involved.

We would be pleased to discuss your requirements free of charge and tailor a costs proposal accordingly.