Real Estate

Planning

Specialist planning lawyers in the real estate sector.

Specialist planning lawyers

Planning law is the gateway to property development. It’s the vital first step for building projects large and small. But the planning and consenting systems are not easy to navigate. Decades of tinkering in law, policy, and regulation have created a machine that may seem confusing or even contradictory to outside observers.

And this is where our team of specialist planning lawyers shine. Although planning law and consenting regimes can be a minefield, we’re used to navigating through them—day in, day out. Our planning team has the expertise to help you understand the planning process, ensuring that you receive the best planning legal advice tailored to your needs.

Two people in hard hats in discussion with a laptop on a development site

Our services

No matter the size of your project, our specialist planning team can provide you with strategic assistance at every stage of the process. Our planning lawyers can assist with:

General planning

  • Providing strategic advice and due diligence on planning processes.
  • Advising on planning law under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended).
  • Delivering training on the current planning regime and anticipated legal changes.
  • Assisting with the legal aspects of planning applications.
  • Advising on consents and permissions for energy and infrastructure projects.
  • Supporting the planning aspects of renewable energy projects.
  • Advising on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Development Consent Orders (DCOs)

  • Advising on the DCO process.
  • Preparing, submitting, and progressing DCO applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
  • Assisting parties affected by DCOs.

Legal agreements

  • Drafting, negotiating, and completing Section 106 agreements and unilateral undertakings, development consent obligations, highway agreements and infrastructure agreements.

Natural capital

  • Advising on biodiversity net gain, offsetting and nutrient and water neutrality.
  • Drafting and negotiating natural capital agreements.

Public access and community rights

  • Advising on public rights of way, common land, town or village greens and assets of community value.
  • Preparing and submitting applications for diversion or stopping up of rights of way, deregistration of common land or town or village greens and works to common land.

Appeals and challenges

  • Representing clients in planning appeals, judicial reviews, and statutory challenges.
  • Challenging asset of community value nominations, applications to register land as a town or village green and applications to register rights of way.

Planning support

  • Advising on planning aspects of property acquisitions, disposals, financing, and refinancing

Why choose Foot Anstey?

Seemingly sensible goals, building the homes the country needs, modernising infrastructure, and supporting businesses to thrive, invariably come into conflict with the need to preserve the environment, culture, and heritage, as well as the needs of lenders and other stakeholders.

We help make sense of the mechanics and components – strategic policies, environmental considerations and regulations, national guidance, and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in the infrastructure and energy sectors. Our planning solicitors are experienced in handling planning permission applications, addressing planning issues, and providing comprehensive planning advice.

Additionally, we cover affordable housing, mixed-use and commercial developments, listed buildings, Section 106 agreements, appeals, novel consenting regimes such as local development orders, the compulsory purchase process, and judicial reviews. Our planning lawyers also understand planning and environmental issues when managing and disposing of assets and how they might affect joint ventures, development finance, and refinancing. And that’s before you even consider how intensely political the planning regime has become.

Working with our colleagues across practice areas and experienced professional consultants, we use our years of experience engaging with all aspects of the planning and consenting systems to seek out answers that work for you. That means we put in the effort to really understand your objectives as well as the motivations of the people who make planning and consenting decisions. We apply the right blend of legal knowledge and political nous, ensuring a well-structured planning strategy to overcome challenges.

Our people

As a specialist planning team, we have over a hundred years of planning law experience between us. Industry media recognises us as innovators in our field, and you can often read about us in the press. Our planning lawyers are dedicated to guiding clients through complex planning issues, offering practical solutions that align with your development goals.

Meet our team
Three diverse business people going over paperwork together at a table.

Key contacts

What our clients say?

‘Responsive and commercially minded team with strong experience in the developer sector. Clients keep coming back to them, which is the best compliment!’

Legal 500 2024

“Foot Anstey is first-class in availability and responsiveness. It puts its clients first and foremost, and the quality of advice we have received is on par with the magic circle.”

Chambers UK 2024

“Foot Anstey handled difficult issues relating to planning appeals brilliantly.”

Chambers UK 2024

“It has a very knowledgeable team with good breadth.”

Chambers UK 2024

“They genuinely put the client first,” confirms one source, who adds: “Foot Anstey impress us with their continued responsiveness and the quality of their service.”

Chambers UK 2023

“The team is very professional and very strong in the marketplace.”

Chambers UK 2023

“Whilst details can be discussed via e-mail, they take the time to meet (at present ‘virtually’) with you and discuss matters in full prior to providing their advice, strategy for moving schemes / matters forward.”

Legal 500 2022

“The practice is versatile crossing various sectors and they can draw on a wealth of knowledge across their offices. Prior to providing advice they ensure they fully understand the issue at hand. Their fees are reasonable and the output has assisted immensely.”

Legal 500 2022

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