‘A real specialist team’ in parliamentary and planning advice, Sharpe Pritchard LLP is a mainstay for public bodies pursuing the promotion of private bills, as well as opponents of infrastructure projects requiring approval by way of hybrid bills, DCOs, and TWAOs. Reputed for its high volume of work both promoting and opposing nationally significant infrastructure private bills, the team is sought out by local authorities, large landowners, and registered charities for assistance with opposing different stages of the HS2 railway project. The practice benefits from the acumen of Roll A Parliamentary Agents Alastair Lewis, who ’exemplifies the ability to bring great expertise and experience to clients’, particularly in the energy and transport sectors, and Emyr Thomas, who is ‘knowledgeable, experienced, and well-connected’ in lodging objections to large infrastructure projects. Real estate specialist Aidan Dickinson lends his compulsory purchase law expertise to clients with land affected by infrastructure schemes and DCOs.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Unrivalled expertise, both institutionally as a firm and in the personnel.’
‘Alastair Lewis exemplifies the ability to bring great expertise and experience to clients in a most considered and practical way.’
‘Sharpe Pritchard is the go-to firm for parliamentary work. A real specialist team for this specialist area.’
‘Emyr Thomas is the most knowledgeable, experienced, and well-connected solicitor in the parliamentary field today.’
Key clients
- Suffolk County Council
- Several significant (HS2-affected) landowners
- Cheshire West & Chester Council
- Cheshire East Council
- The National Farmers Union
- London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust
- The National Trust
Work highlights
- Advised Suffolk County Council on its objection to the Sizewell C nuclear power station DCO.
- Acted for the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust in depositing an objection against the Holocaust Memorial Bill, arguing that it was not a general Bill but a hybrid one and so susceptible to petitioning.
- Advised the National Trust on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill throughout its passage through Parliament.
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Practice head
Alastair Lewis
Other key lawyers
Emyr Thomas; Aidan Dickinson