Strategic Planning and Development Advice

The lifecycle of your development

‍We partner with clients to provide end to end planning support. From reviewing applications to ensure these are robost, to shaping approval strategies and negotiating planning obligations and infrastructure agreements, we keep your project moving. We also advise on appeals, judicial review, lawful implementation, Community Infrastructure Levy and enforcement, helping ensure your development stays deliverable and financeable.

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Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Development must deliver at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain. We advise on BNG within planning obligations and development agreements, including setting up habitat banks. Key issues include on-site delivery, purchasing off-site units and credits, land availability, metric risk, baseline timing degradation, habitat registration/management, and early integration to de‑risk consent.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

We provide practical advice on Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for chargeable development, including how existing buildings affect the calculation. We help you secure exemptions and reliefs, manage liability and commencement notices, avoid surcharges, and get phasing right. We also dispute or appeal CIL calculations and deal with late payment interest, stop notices, and criminal enforcement.

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Due diligence

Planning due diligence for lenders covers planning conditions, section 106 and highways agreements, CIL and BNG liabilities, implementation risk, judicial review exposure and enforcement. We deliver clear red flag reports and work closely with property finance colleagues to identify and resolve issues quickly, protecting deliverability and funding confidence.

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Enforcement and lawful development certificates

We advise on enforcement risk and strategy, including planning contravention notices, enforcement and breach of condition notices, stop notices, section 215 notices, injunctions, and potential criminal prosecution. We negotiate with local authorities, manage appeals and secure Lawful Development Certificates to regularise existing or proposed use.

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Heritage assets

Advice covers development affecting listed buildings and heritage assets, including listed building consent and conservation area controls, significance and setting impacts for planning applications, unlawful development and enforcement action.

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Highways

We negotiate section 38 and section 278 agreements and advise on public rights of way, traffic regulation orders, stopping up and diversion orders. We support highways strategy within planning applications to ensure infrastructure aligns with delivery.

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Planning applications and permissions

Once your application has been prepared, we advise on how to make it as robust as possible: from preparing red flag reports and reducing judicial review risk to overcoming delay, managing planning conditions and ensuring lawful implementation. Support also includes handling planning appeals and challenges, and submitting objections to all types of development, including telecoms applications.

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Section 106 Agreements

Section 106 Agreements play a central role in shaping development costs and delivery. We advise on Heads of Terms, draft and negotiate obligations with local planning authorities, and assess viability evidence, review mechanisms and phasing to ensure financial exposure remains controlled and commercially workable.

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