Town & Country Planning

Overview

Our Town & Country Planning Team has extensive experience in providing comprehensive legal advice on a wide range of town & country planning issues. As a result the Team is recognised as one of the most reputable and successful sources of legal planning knowledge in the West Midlands and Shropshire.

We work for and with developers, the business community, private individuals, landowners and public authorities on a regional and national level; providing concise, high quality advice on all aspects of town & country planning matters.

The Team acts for people and businesses making planning proposals but can also represent those opposed to development proposals. Decisions are made using detailed laws, policies, guidelines and principles and it’s our job to understand them and use powers of persuasion and advocacy to advance your case

We handle work relating to large and small proposals, but we are often brought in to help in the more contentious aspects of planning applications, or with large scale developments, including those needing environmental appraisal. We also deal with all kinds of planning appeals, following on from planning authority refusals.

The Team also has considerable experience in challenging planning decisions in the High Court and have taken cases to the Court of Appeal and House of Lords.

Partner and Solicitor-Advocate, Niall Blackie, heads the Team and is a recognised leader in his field, regularly ranked by Chambers Legal Directory for his planning expertise, meaning you have peace of mind in knowing the legal advice you receive will be of the highest quality.

Working in partnership with the Firm’s 10 Partner strong Commercial Property Department you will receive a full range of legal expertise and advice on any transaction you wish to progress.

Our Town and Country Planning Solicitors specialise in:

• Planning Applications
• Certificates of Lawfulness
• Compulsory Purchase
• Development Plan Proposals
• Enforcement Notices and Planning Contravention Notices
• Environmental Matters
• Listed Building Consents and Conservation Areas
• Planning Obligations
• Prosecutions Arising from Planning or Environmental Issues
• Purchase Notices
• Tree Preservation

Niall Blackie is also regularly recognised as a leader in his field in the annually published Chambers Directory.

The Planning Team is recommended in the 2012 Legal 500 Directory. "The ‘outstanding’ Niall Blackie at FBC Manby Bowdler LLP is ‘one to have on your side’. The team represented various landowners in the negotiation of significant option agreements for development land, and has also advised on village green applications."