Planning for businesses and individuals

Our expert planning solicitors provide tailored advice and support for both individuals and businesses navigating the complexities of planning law.

Whether you are a homeowner seeking guidance on property developments or a business managing large-scale projects, our specialist solicitors offer strategic solutions to help you achieve your goals while ensuring compliance with planning regulations.

We recognise that planning is often part of a broader transaction, which is why our team works closely with clients and their advisers from the outset to deliver a commercial solution.

With extensive experience across both personal and commercial planning matters, we deliver effective and cost-efficient solutions that rival larger City firms, ensuring the best possible outcomes for every client.

Development

We offer expert legal advice in areas such as:

• strategic planning advice and legal reviews of planning applications, inquiries, and appeals
• Biodiversity Net Gain, Water Neutrality and Nutrient Neutrality mitigation issues
• Section 106 agreements (including viability review mechanisms) 
• Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) issues
• environmental impact assessment and habitat regulation assessment issues
• judicial reviews and statutory challenges
• enforcement issues, including criminal and civil proceedings and appeals
• highways agreements (Section 38 and Section 278 agreements)
• listed building and conservation area issues
• lawful development certificate applications
• Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) 
• planning condition modification applications
• permitted development rights and prior approval applications under the General Permitted Development Order 2015 particularly relating to office to residential conversions
• changes of use
• planning aspects of due diligence of acquisition of sites and mitigation for risks identified
• common land, village greens and assets of community value
• breaches of licensing
• Compulsory Purchase including compensation

How we can help you secure planning permission:

• strategic planning advice in relation to planning applications, change of use applications and the effective use of Permitted Development Rights working alongside planning consultants as appropriate to bolster planning applications

• drafting lawful development certificates for future or already completed development

• drafting planning obligations/agreements which are required for the grant of planning permission, for example s106 agreements to secure affordable housing or a car free development and subsequent deeds of variation

• advice on planning policy which may affect the proposed development

• advice on planning appeals

How we can help if your planning application is refused:

• appeals of planning decisions which have been refused
• if enforcement action is taken by the council, we can assist by appealing this
• if you have been prosecuted for failure to comply with an enforcement notice, we work with our criminal litigation team to try to work with the council to find a mutually agreeable solution

How we can help if you want to object to a proposed development:

• drafting objection letters against neighbouring developments and representing clients at planning committee
• judicial review of planning permissions
• working with a council to achieve enforcement action if a neighbour is carrying out unlawful development

Other planning issues we can assist with:

• listed properties or those located within a Conservation area and implications for any proposed works
• properties with trees subject to a Trees Preservation Order and implications for any proposed works
• applications to register land as common land, village greens and assets of community value
• breaches of licensing
• highways Law and public rights of way including objecting to stopping up orders
• property subject to a proposed compulsory purchase order (CPO) including compensation advice and support in objecting to a CPO
• community Infrastructure Levy–acting on reviews and appeals

Our planning team has a wide range of clients, including strategic landowners, property developers, land promoters, charities, planning consultants, private individuals, financial institutions, and energy companies such as Shurguard Limited, Goldcrest Land, Quantum Land and IQ.

We work on projects of all sizes across England and Wales. Led by Alex Ground, our planning lawyers are recognised in The Legal 500 (2023) for their excellent client care and 'open and collaborative' culture, which works 'to the great benefit of client outcomes’.

Here are some comments made about us.

“Their ability to handle complex and sophisticated matters is very strong…. ”
Chambers UK (2025)

“They are consistently aware of the commercial importance of their advice to us.”
Chambers UK (2025)

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.