Planning Law
Despite attempts at simplification by government, navigating the planning system remains a potentially time consuming and costly process. Our planning solicitors are experienced at helping clients through this process, whether at the strategic level as the first steps are made towards having a site allocated, helping to shape planning applications, negotiating planning obligation agreements or advising in relation to appeals and legal challenges at the decision making stage.
Our clients include national and regional house builders, commercial developers, government bodies, planning authorities, private sector companies and landed estates.
They have been particularly supportive and helpful.
Chambers 2017
Their speed of response is always exceptional, as is the clarity of their advice.
Chambers 2016
Well organised. Well resourced. Well placed in the market as a large provincial firm.
Legal 500 2022
Related Areas
News
- Planning: New commercial into residential (Class MA) Permitted Development rights
- Trainee Blog: Client Exposure as a Michelmores Trainee
- Planning & nitrate neutrality: Legal challenge to Natural England's guidance
- Courts rule on indirect Environmental Harm
- Community Infrastructure Levy – some recent decisions from PINS
- High Court dismisses campaigners' bid to overturn new permitted development rights
- The winners of the 2020 Michelmores Property Awards revealed
- The new Planning Use Classes- challenging new revisions
- General Permitted Development Order
- Planning: Potential to improve a Class Q consent
- Trees and encroachment – getting to the root of the problem
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) - effect on rural businesses
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) and planning
- Considering the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
- A summary of the September reforms to the CIL
- The Environment Bill
- Compulsory Purchase - the Budget and the Letwin Report
- Crossrail 2: where are we now?
- The outlook for London's property sector
- Passivhaus: Building the Green Way - meeting the standards for certification
- Passivhaus: building the green way
- The Planning Delivery Fund
- Planning: new guidance for farm shops, poly tunnels and reservoirs
- Planning: the conversion conundrum
- St Ives Neighbourhood Plan
- 'Landbanking'
- 5-year Housing Supply judgement appealed
- Developer's community contribution
- Planning for housebuilders
- MIPIM 2016
- Limitation on monitoring fees in section 106 agreements
- Home Ownership Unlocked
- Consultation on the delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in England
- Fracking: the Facts
- Michelmores Planning Alert - August
- Michelmores Planning Alert 7 August 2013
- Planning Alert 26 July 2013
- Michelmores celebrates with winners at Made in the South West Awards 2013
Get in touch
Mark Howard
Partner
Recent experience
- Advising a Council on a compulsory purchase order for a business park. Our advice included managing the expectations of the energy company supporting the order, managing the inquiry process and the production of evidence in conjunction with Counsel, and attending the inquiry itself. The order has recently been confirmed by the Secretary of State.
- Advising a company with a large real estate portfolio in relation to Crossrail 2 and the client's risk profile for a proposed transaction. We drew on our previous experience of Crossrail to advise on uncertainty and potential outcomes. this allowed the client to form a realistic evaluation of its negotiating position and asset valuation.
- Acting for a unitary authority in negotiating section 106 agreements for a large housing site of over 1200 units, including advising on compliance with regulations regarding the community infrastructure levy.
- Negotiating compromise agreements for various private sector clients affected or potentially affected by Compulsory Purchase Orders, Transport and Works Act Orders or Development Consent Orders, including petitioning in relation to emerging legislation.
- Acting for a manufacturing and retail company looking to promote land through the emerging local plan in order to relocate its business, including advising on planning strategy for bringing forward an application alongside promoting the site, and advising on the submission of evidence for the examination in public of the emerging plan.
- Advising private sector developers and businesses on procedures for the stopping up of highways (roads and footpaths) to allow for the expansion of their businesses, including advising a manufacturing company on procedures under the Highways Act 1980 and a London-based private sector developer on the powers in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
- Advising a developer on the preparation of a blight notice for land dedicated by a local authority for the development of a school. The Council refused to allow planning permission for new homes proposed by the developer. We attended the planning committee meeting and secured a planning consent for 43 new homes.
- Defending a judicial review claim brought by a residents action group against the grant of permission for housing linked to our client’s commercial operation.
- Acting for a Government agency on the mitigation of impact on its radar system in relation to a planning application for the development of a wind farm. We negotiated a settlement agreement for the relocation of the radar.
- Negotiating numerous highways agreements on behalf of developers and unitary and county authorities for residential schemes.