She advises developers, investors and occupiers on section 106 agreements and highways related matters including section 278 and 38 agreements.
Sophie regularly undertakes planning due diligence for commercial developments, including complex phased development schemes to be delivered over extended periods of time. Sophie is experienced in acting for both lenders and borrowers on financing transactions, providing commercially focused planning advice.
She advises regularly on rural property transactions and heritage matters including listed buildings. Sophie has a particular interest in the provisions of the Environment Act 2021 and the associated planning requirements to deliver biodiversity net gain.
Ella has particular experience in dealing with residential developments and the provision of affordable housing.
Specialising in planning since 2020, she enjoys undertaking planning due diligence for acquisitions of residential and commercial sites as well as due diligence for financing transactions acting for both lenders and borrowers.
She provides tailored advice to a wide variety of clients including hotel groups, private individuals and care provides. The advice that she provides centres on listed buildings, community infrastructure levy, use classes and affordable housing.
Ella also regularly negotiates various agreements including section 106 agreements, section 278 and 38 agreements and nomination agreements with councils and clients across the country.
You are represented by a team that specialises in advising landowners, developers, and land promoters involved in development projects. With particular experience in advising landowners with greenfield or brownfield land for development, we understand the unique needs and interests of each party involved.
We have a clear understanding of the relationship between the different interests of the parties involved and work collaboratively to drive projects forward, whilst upholding and preserving your interests. We pride ourselves in being not just lawyers, but strategic advisors with an interest in and awareness of the sector from a commercial and political perspective.
When acting for you as a landowner, we work closely with your retained advisers (including your retained lawyers) to progress, negotiate, and deliver the initial development agreement. We meet with you and your agents, inspect your potential sites, and assist with the process of interviewing and selecting a business partner, whether it be a land promoter or a major housebuilder.
Every project has its own commercial drivers and hurdles, and we ensure that all aspects are carefully considered, and your particular interests are prioritised. We offer a dedicated team who will see your project through all its stages, providing continued support and advice as it progresses.
What we advise on:
Strategic land acquisition and site assembly
Advising on title issues including restrictive covenants, easements, and wayleaves
Property holding structures
Conditional contracts, options, hybrid option/promotion agreements, and promotion agreements
Overage agreements
Equalisation of sale proceeds via land pool trusts and other collaboration agreements
The mechanics of the planning process, securing an allocation in the Local Plan, planning application, s106 agreements, community infrastructure levy, and compulsory purchase orders
Planning law (whether policy, legislation, case law or appeal decisions) is continuously evolving and despite repeated attempts by a succession of ministers, the planning system is more complex than ever before.
We are passionate about helping clients navigate the complexities of this specialist area of law. Our knowledge and skill in this area of law allows us to advise clients on a broad scope of matters, from the developers of the UK’s largest schemes to institutional investors, to residential and industrial and logistics developers, to land promoters to individuals of prime residential property and rural estates.
This huge variety means we act for all participants in the planning process and as a result we can provide tailored advice at the same time as anticipating potential issues and addressing them in a proactive and commercial manner.
At a high level, our areas of expertise include:
Strategic advice on structuring planning applications including pre-submission legal audits of planning applications
S.106 and other infrastructure agreements
Planning appeals
Listed buildings and conservation area advice
Environmental impact assessments
Land promotion
Highways law advice
Judicial reviews
Enforcement advice including appeals
Community Infrastructure Levy
Compulsory purchase and development consent orders
Biodiversity net gain
Niche subject areas such as revoking Health and Safety (HSE) licences, Special Protection Areas (SPA), Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANGs) mitigation and the interplay of the planning regimes with other areas such as statutory nuisance
Our Planning team completes our market leading real estate offering, ensuring we can provide our clients with a seamless service that covers the full property lifecycle – it all starts with planning.
Matthew is Counsel in the firm’s Planning team and advises on all forms of development, with particular expertise in large scale residential or residential led schemes. He covers the full range of the development cycle, from application review, to commenting at committees, the drafting and negotiation of associated agreements through to viability reviews, advice on the community infrastructure levy and final disposal of individual elements of schemes.
Matthew’s previous experience within local government gives him valuable insight, both into the nature of the work (and what local authorities are looking for from developers) and the processes involved in securing the delivery of development.
He also advises on highways matters, dovetailing the conclusion of the requisite agreements and advice within the client’s timetables for delivering the scheme in question.
Matthew’s advice focusses on a practical, pragmatic approach. The development process has become increasingly complex, with weight that the industry is expected to bear growing each year. In light of this, it is crucial to not only understand the nature of any new obligations but ensure that all parties are aware of what can and should (and importantly, what cannot be) secured.
He is also heavily involved in the firm’s Graduate Recruitment programme, he is a trainee supervisor and is involved in the firm’s mentoring scheme. In addition he is knowledge champion (Planning) and a board member of Baker Street Quarter.
Georgina is a Senior Associate in the Planning team, advising on contentious and non-contentious planning matters across a range of sectors, with a focus on residential-led mixed-use developments and complex development sites. She acts for developers, landowners, institutional investors and public bodies.
She advises on all aspects of planning law and works with clients throughout the development lifecycle from initial acquisition through to delivery. Her work includes providing pre-application advice, negotiating planning and infrastructure agreements, and advising on appeal strategy.
Georgina also advises on the planning aspects of residential and commercial property acquisitions and disposals.
Alice is a Senior Associate in the Planning team and has extensive experience across a broad spectrum of town and country planning, highways, compulsory purchase, community infrastructure levy (CIL) and heritage matters acting for a range of developers, institutional and private clients.
Alice particularly enjoys advising on the planning aspects of large mixed use and residential developments in and around Central London. From initial strategic advice and planning application reviews, to advice during the planning application process and subsequent negotiation of planning, highways and infrastructure agreements.
She also works for private clients providing bespoke planning advice in both domestic and rural settings. She provides advice on a wide range of areas from the amalgamation of residential property, permitted development rights, listed buildings to enforcement and CIL.
In addition, Alice acts for a number of prominent film studios in this rapidly growing UK sector, assisting them with their expansion aims and development advice from initial acquisition to day-to-day operational challenges and requirements.
Ranked as a Leading Individual in Legal 500 Planning 2025 and among the top practitioners in Chambers, Victoria is noted for ‘her brilliant legal mind’ and her ability to ‘simplify complex issues and provide pragmatic advice quickly’.
Victoria heads the Planning team at Forsters and is one of few senior lawyers to specialise in representing commercial and private clients, including major developers, institutional investors and public sector entities. She advises on all aspects of redevelopment and regeneration, from advice on planning applications to planning appeals, judicial review, statutory challenges and disposal strategies.
Victoria has a proven track record in the redevelopment of central urban sites, including those that are highly constrained.
She prides herself on robust, strategic and commercial advice, drawing on her extensive experience coupled with a detailed understanding of specific site restrictions and opportunities for development. She is passionate about new buildings and changing skylines.
