Public Sector
We have extensive experience in advising local authority clients both in their capacity as landowner and as planning authority or regeneration body.
When a public body owns land that it wishes to redevelop and/or dispose of there are important constraints on the way the public body can act that must be taken into consideration. For example, in letting contracts to redevelop the land it must be careful not to breach the procurement rules. When selling land it must take care to comply with the regulations on obtaining best value for the land. A local authority may wish to exercise its powers of compulsory purchase in order to undertake a comprehensive redevelopment of an area of which it owns part of the land. In addition, special procedures apply where a local authority wishes to obtain planning permission to develop land in its own area.
Public Sector Clients acting as Landowners
We have helped to guide many public bodies through the myriad of rules and regulations that govern them. For example, we advised a London Borough Council on all the planning aspects relating to its desire to redevelop a strategic waterfront site that it owned in central London. This included advice on access issues, being subject to compulsory purchase and seeking to compulsorily purchase land for the scheme, creating an appropriate policy background to support the scheme, party wall awards and issues surrounding metropolitan open land and listed buildings.
Often when public bodies dispose of land they want to ensure that they do not retain any residual liability. We advised a local authority on how to sell a former refuse tip making sure that they were adequately protected against environmental liability.
Public Sector Clients acting as Planning Authorities
We enjoy working alongside our local authority clients, supporting them in their planning functions. We acted for a London Borough Council advising on the grant of planning permission for a mixed use residential led scheme of 10,800 new homes, successfully avoiding a call-in of the application. This involved negotiating and drafting a complex section 106 agreement and advising on appropriate conditions to attach to the planning permission.
We have also advised an urban development corporation working with them and their team of advisors to regenerate their statutory area. This involved the drafting of appropriate planning policy to support their aims, the use of compulsory purchase powers and joint development agreements to assemble sites, appearance at local inquiry to object to unsuitable development in the area, the grant of planning permission and negotiation of section 106 agreements and advising on the interrelation between the development corporation and the local planning authority.
