Having one of the largest development legal teams and the country's leading agricultural practice, we are uniquely placed to help landowners, developers, promoters, local authorities, and rural businesses unlock the potential of land for development.
Richard Walford
Partner
Julie Sharpe
Partner
Elizabeth Newson
Partner
Lucy Smallwood
Partner
We have always received a rapid and comprehensive level of service and responsiveness from Michelmores.
Chambers UK 2025
Our highly experienced team have a long standing proven record of working with local authorities and the wider public sector helping them with all aspects of strategic land development. This includes the promotion of public sector sites, as well as entering into joint ventures or facilitating development through the planning regime.
Our team acts for a range of public sector clients and has deep knowledge of the relevant public law, regulatory and governance aspects of delivering development and infrastructure. We are also able to advise on compulsory purchase, procurement and state aid. Our Strategic Land team provides the legal and commercial expertise necessary to deliver successful outcomes and help you unlock land value while ensuring transparency, accountability and alignment with public policy objectives.
We advise public sector across the UK on:
Our lawyers are experienced in working within the public sector framework ensuring compliance with statutory duties whilst delivering commercially sound solutions.
We understand the need for robust governance, community engagement, and long-term planning. Our approach is collaborative and pragmatic, offering:
Whether you're promoting surplus land or enabling development through policy, we’ll help you achieve your objectives efficiently and responsibly.
We’re not just legal advisors—we’re strategic partners committed to helping you deliver positive change for your communities.
As part of our Destination 2030 Strategy we seek to deliver our legal services through Collaboration, Commerciality and Creativity. Collaboration underpins everything we do. Working alongside you as a business means team-on-team integration, wider commercial support and access to our extensive offering of knowledge, thought leadership and industry events. As a firm, Michelmores has a proud record of working with many key clients for several decades, and relish the prospect of forming longstanding relationship with our promoter clients. Commerciality drives our approach to transactions and the way we will provide legal services. We are a friendly and approachable team, and always ‘solutions-driven’. Creativity sets us apart from our competitors. We are embracing the role of AI and its ability to drive efficiency in providing legal services, and we prize working in an entrepreneurial environment where we think of the best way to solve problems.
Decades of experience in acting for local authorities and other public sector clients in relation to strategic land projects.
We pride ourselves on forging lasting relationships—our clients trust us to navigate the complexities of strategic land from first step to final completion.
We understand the development landscape, market cycles and how best to structure deals that deliver enduring value whilst managing risk and tax exposure.
No one-size-fits-all here. Every agreement is bespoke and shaped around your land, your values and your long-term goals.
Acting for a unitary authority entering into a collaboration and development agreement on a large urban extension scheme with proposals to provide key infrastructure by way of a distributor road and railway overbridge to support up the delivery of up to 7,500 new homes.
Acting on a strategic new town site where the local authority took on the lead role in a landowner consortium in order to undertake land assembly, planning promotion and secure infrastructure funding.
Disposing of surplus land interests by way of a tender led process with a view to achieving optimum open market terms.
Urban regeneration of a council HQ by way of a multi phase mixed use development. Including dealing with restructuring and making provision for repayment of existing public grant funding and clawback arrangements.
Advising a County Council in respect of potential major development sites, reviewing and reporting on title and possible development constraints as well as acquiring land essential for access and/or for the resolution of constraints.
Acting for a NHS Trust in relation to the promotion and subsequent sale of development land bequeathed to the Trust pursuant to a will and held in a charitable trust structure. Advising on Charities Act implications and requirements.
Acting on the disposal subject to planning to a housebuilder of a 4 hectare strategic site in south west owned partly by a County Council and partly by a private landowner, with provision for arrangements between landowning parties and access requirements to retained land.
Disposal to a major housebuilder of a County Council site in south west with planning permission for c200 dwellings, including dealing with apportionment of S106 payment obligations and district heating arrangements.
Michelmores were prompt to respond and contactable despite high-pressure workloads and tight timescales. It was flexible to adapt to our changing deadlines.
Chambers UK 2025
From early-stage land strategy and heads of terms through to planning, infrastructure and eventual sale, we combine technical excellence with personal attention. Our team brings fresh thinking to every project and a determination to help you unlock both land potential and peace of mind.
Ready to talk?
We’re here when you are. Let’s discuss how we can help you navigate the path ahead with confidence. Contact our Strategic Land team.
