Planning and Environment

Druces for Business

Planning and Environment

Druces provides planning advice at all levels from planning agreements on major developments to background advice on routine property transactions. Our expertise also covers environmental and contaminated land issues.

We have particular experience in advising developers on the need for planning permission (or the validity of existing permission) and conditionality of contract to acquire land subject to planning permission.

We are also often instructed to advise occupiers on the validity of the planning permission for their proposed premises and funders regarding the planning permission upon which their borrowers seek to rely. Individual clients include those purchasers needing advice on the planning permission for their target property and people objecting to neighbours’ planning applications.

Recent work

We advised the owner of a London hotel (selling with the benefit of a planning permission to demolish and rebuild) so as to double in size and particularly on the need for implementation within the life of the permission.
We acted for a bank on the limitations of the permitted development right to change a redundant office building to residential use and the implications for valuation.
We advised a high profile national retailer on taking a lease of a unit in a Midlands shopping centre in a Listed building.
We acted for a business club operator intending to take a lease of central London premises; particularly on the concept of an ancillary use (where part of their intended operation was not covered by the existing permission.
We are advising a residential developer on a possible CPO to be promoted by the local planning authority and backed by them.