We have a long heritage of acting for local and central government and continue to advise government departments, executive agencies, and local authorities across England and Wales. Planning, compulsory purchase, and the environment are core areas of our expertise and also the key touchpoints for natural capital issues.
Biodiversity Net Gain or “BNG” has become a key part of efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of development, and improve biodiversity through planning value gains. We have been advising upon BNG since it came about in [2021], and now act in a large volume of transactions to secure BNG opportunities.
The improvement of water quality in our watercourses has become critical for certain river catchments resulting in planning requirements for the overall reduction in the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorous into rivers. As the treatment of nutrient discharge from new development catches up with demand, developers need to purchase the credits created by land use change to offset increases in discharge caused by new developments.
We recognise that local governments across the country have faced significant new challenges in recent years as they seek to deliver mandated expectations for the environment, as well as balancing existing duties against diminishing funding.
We are well positioned to help, with a wealth of experience in acting for local authorities across England and Wales on challenging environmental and planning projects.
Our unrivalled position as the leading natural capital practice has given us fantastic opportunities to advise and act upon exciting new projects for central government departments and agencies promoting or regulating natural capital opportunities. We continue to lead the pack, providing cutting edge work and helping to develop policy and statute for the delivery of improvements in the environment.
