Holmes & Hills’ Planning & Development Team advise and represent 11 local authorities across Essex and Suffolk on a wide range of complex strategic, contentious and non-contentious planning law matters.
A leading source of Planning Law advice
Holmes & Hills Solicitors’ Planning & Development Team is listed as one of the top teams of specialist Planning Law advisors in the UK by Planning Magazine - a leading industry magazine. The team is also recognised as a leading source of Planning Law advice by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners - two directories of the country’s top law firms. Four members of the team - David Whipps, Steven Hopkins, Joanna Lilliott and Thomas McPhie - are all recognised individually as being experts in their field by the Legal 500.
The Planning & Development team advise and represent local planning authorities and assist their Planning Officers with a wide range of legal issues relating to planning and development including:
- Strategic Planning
- Core Strategy/DPD’s
- Enabling Development
- Certificates of Lawfulness
- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Regulations
- Section 106 Agreements
- Planning Contributions
- All Planning related appeals
- Enforcement
- Land Drainage - Section 104 Agreements
- Listed Buildings
- Highways Law
- Highways Works Agreements – Section 38 & Section 278 Agreements
- Public Rights of Way
- Common Land and Village Greens
- Trees and Hedgerows
- High Court Proceedings
- Planning Injunctions
- Magistrates Court Proceedings
Planning law updates for the public sector
Holmes & Hills’ Planning & Development Team organises the largest series of Planning Law Seminars for the public and private sectors in the region. In 2015 over 300 planning officers, planning consultants, developers, architects and surveyors attended the series of 6 events across Essex and Suffolk.
See the Events page for details of upcoming events being organised by Holmes & Hills Solicitors.
Work highlights
- Drafted Deed of Variation which enabled the start of a development of 2300 dwellings and construction of a link road, this subsequently opened up an enterprise zone for the council.
- Drafted a complex s106 agreement relating to a development on former agricultural land, providing for circa 370 new homes with a total of over £1.5 million contributions.
- Advised on and drafted a s106 agreement providing for a contribution of approximately £900,000 towards education and the transfer of an historic wood to the Council; as well as affordable housing that will be transferred for free to the respective housing organisation.
- Drafted Deed of Variation which enabled the start of a development of 2300 dwellings and construction of a link road, this subsequently opened up an enterprise zone for the council.
- Drafted a complex s106 agreement relating to a development on former agricultural land, providing for circa 370 new homes with a total of over £1.5 million contributions.
- Advised on and drafted a s106 agreement providing for a contribution of approximately £900,000 towards education and the transfer of an historic wood to the Council; as well as affordable housing that will be transferred for free to the respective housing organisation.
