The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > South East > Environment and planning

B P Collins LLP's environment team advises on corporate, regulatory and property issues, with a strong reputation in the waste management sector. The team includes principal lawyer Jonothan Moss, who offers 30 years' criminal and regulatory experience, including trial advocacy. Department head Alex Zachary advises clients on waste management, recycling and renewables, having led on more than 40 mergers and acquisitions in these sectors. Elsewhere in the team, David Smellie is a commercial contracts specialist while Craig Williams leads on the disputes side of the practice.

Blake Morgan LLP's specialist planning team is best known for its judicial review work, and has more than 15 years' experience acting for major housing developers. The Oxford-based practice acts for a number of Wales-based clients and has an in-house team of planning consultants. Guthrie McGruer leads the department and is an expert in compulsory purchase law, with significant experience in dealing with judicial reviews and statutory challenges. He has also been involved in many High Court and Court of Appeal cases, negotiating complex Section 106 agreements on behalf of both developers and local authorities.

Blandy & Blandy LLP's Reading office handles the full range of environmental and planning matters, and advises on legal issues concerning high-profile sites and major projects across the region. The firm recently invested in a new practice management IT system, further streamlining much of the legal process for clients. Practice head Karen Jones' expertise includes strategic planning advice, appeals, public inquiries and environmental law, with an emphasis on regulatory enforcement. Associate solicitor Victoria Charlesson has significant experience in applications for certificates of lawfulness and development, advising on town and village greens, planning enforcement appeals/prosecutions and section 106 agreements.

The team at Cripps Pemberton Greenish is well-known for its work in the housebuilding sector and are the only law firm to sit on the Kent Developers Group. The firm has recently seen an increase in judicial review work and the team has also been involved in a number of call-in inquiries and planning appeals. Beth Gascoyne, who was elevated to the partnership in 2019, has over 13 years' experience as a planning lawyer in both private practice and central government. Philip Youdan is the name to note for contentious environmental matters, while planning expert Jason Towell leads the practice.

Irwin Mitchell has a strong track record in promoting mixed-use regeneration schemes involving former brownfield land, and the team is also currently seeing more work within the retirement living sector. Former Brabners LLP practice head Claire Petricca-Riding joined in late 2019 to lead the national practice from Manchester; in Gatwick, newly promoted partner Nicola Gooch is a regeneration project specialist, while James Pavey handles significant contentious matters.

Shoosmiths LLP's planning department is led by Karen Howard and regularly advises private clients who require support in strategic land promotions and development. The team also advises on schemes regarding habitat regulations and air quality matters. On the environmental side, the South East practice - which is headed up by Milton Keynes-based Charles Arrand - undertakes both regulatory and transactional support work. In particular, the practice has a reputation for dealing with contentious environmental matters including investigations and prosecutions.

BDB Pitmans' planning team works closely with its real estate and insolvency departments to handle complex strategic contractual work in this area. The practice has extensive experience of both section 106 agreements and CIL regulations and also leads on judicial review and statutory review proceedings. Christina Daniels leads the team and specialises in residential and mixed-use developments, having a niche specialism in highway rights of way, village green and assets of community value work.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP's team acts for clients in the engineering, energy, chemical production, manufacturing and waste management sectors.  Water pollution, hazardous waste and landfill are among other areas of specialisation. Richard Smith leads the practice.

Stevens & Bolton LLP's environment group is best known for its expertise in liabilities for environmental damage, including land/soil contamination, water pollution and damage to natural resources, and insurance for such liabilities. Practice head Valerie Fogleman represents clients on all aspects of environmental and climate change law including claims under environmental insurance policies, as well as environmental due diligence in a wide range of share and asset transactions. Markus Klempa provides property litigation support for the real estate/commercial property team where advice is required in relation to environmental liabilities arising from leases.

Lester Aldridge LLP's planning team has a focus on work for housebuilders, advising a number of well-known clients in the sector, and also works with regional and local developers, handling both contentious and non-contentious matters. The team is led from Southampton by Tom Alder,  who has a niche practice acting for ports and marinas; he recently advised on the process to secure consent for the delivery of a new marina to accompany a substantial new waterside residential development.