Town-Legal-16pp

This is us

We are a boutique planning law firm set up at the end of 2016 by some of the leading
figures in the planning law sector.

We advise on all aspects of planning law, across England and Wales. We act for a range of
clients including developers, landowners, and public authorities.

One of our partners is a leading planning barrister, which is amongst the things that sets
Town apart and provides added value to clients, in terms of the quality and speed of our
advice.

OUR WORK INCLUDES: • Corporate and real estate transaction
support
• Strategic planning law advice
• Legal audit of planning applications • Community Infrastructure Levy
• Section 106 and other planning
• Legal advice in relation to environmental
agreements impact assessment and related EU
• Planning appeals, call-ins, inquiries, legislation

hearings, written representations • Certificates of lawfulness
• Local plan examinations
• Litigation- judicial review and legal • Rights of light and appropriation of land
for planning purposes
challenges
• Highways law • Heritage law
• CPO and compensation law (including
• Rating Law
conducting claims in the Upper Tribunal)

www.townlegal.com

Our clients include:

• 22 Bishopsgate Limited Partnership • Friends of the Elderly • Quintain
• A2 Dominion • Galliard Homes • RLW Estates
• Arbury Estate • Gleeson Strategic Land • Richborough Estates
• Asra Housing Association • Goldcrest Land • Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS
• Aviva • Greenwich Hospital
• Battersea Power Station Development • Greystar Foundation Trust
• HB Reavis • Royal Mail Group
Company • IM Properties • SAV Development
• Bellway Homes • Imperial College • Saco Group
• Berkeley Homes • Ironmongers’ Livery Company • Sandby
• British Land • JP Morgan • Satnam Millennium
• Brockton Capital • Lands Improvement Holdings • Sellar
• Burhill Group Estates • Lavanda Ventures • Shearer Property
• Canary Wharf Group • Lincoln MGT • South Hams District Council
• Capital & Regional • London City Airport • St George
• Car Giant • London Hotel Group • St James
• Carmarthenshire County Council • London Metropolitan University • St Mary’s University
• Church Commissioners for England • London Strategic Land • St William
• Churchill Retirement Living • Londonewcastle • Stansted Airport
• City and Provincial • Maximus Networks • Starwood Capital Advisors
• Constable Homes • Merseyside Pension Fund • Taylor Wimpey
• DAMAC group • Milton Park Estate • Telereal Trillium
• Danescroft Land • Mount Anvil • The Collective
• David Wilson Homes • Nine Elms Property • The Crown Estate
• Derwent London • Paddy Power Betfair • Tishman Speyer
• Elysian Residences • Penzance Heliport • Transport for London
• Far East Consortium • Plymouth City Council • U+I
• Fawley Waterside • Quantum Group • West Devon Borough Council
• First Base • Quinn Estates • Worshipful Company of Brewers
• Francis Crick Institute • Yodel
• Freightliner • Ziggurat St Albans

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Our partners

(Back) Elizabeth Christie, Patrick Robinson, Clare Fielding, Simon Ricketts, Mary Cook, (Front) Raj Gupta, Meeta Kaur, Duncan Field

“Newly established planning boutique Town Legal LLP has an ‘outstanding range of talent,
with a good range of skills’... The firm focuses on major mixed-use schemes, commercial
developments, urban extensions and heritage and cultural projects, acting for clients…
who benefit from the firm’s ‘more personalised approach.”

Legal 500, October 2017

2

PARTNER

Elizabeth Christie

[email protected]
07931 870 569 | 0203 893 0380

Elizabeth spent nine years at Herbert Experience
Smith Freehills before becoming one
of Town’s founding partners. She has 22 Bishopsgate Limited Partnership
a wide-ranging planning practice, 22 Bishopsgate
including advising on tall buildings, PRS,
heritage issues, and major regeneration Lendlease and London & Continental Railways
schemes. International Quarter, Stratford City

British Land
Broadgate Estate

Imperial College
Perfume Factory, North Acton

Francis Crick Institute
Francis Crick Institute

Danescroft Land
Clock House and Access House, Bromley-by-Bow

Brockton Capital
Post Building, Camden

Market Tech Holdings
Hawley Wharf, Camden Lock Market, Stables Market

3

PPAARRTTNNEERR

Mary Cook

[email protected]
07909 964 015 | 0203 893 0381

Experience

Compulsory Purchase Strategic Land Advice Mary is a leading planning barrister,
Advising Southwark on the To various pension funds (at Fort and prior to Town was a member of
Elephant and Castle Shopping Halstead), estates and landowners Cornerstone Barristers where she
Centre redevelopment. Advising (in the Green Belt around York, served as Joint Head of Chambers.
Carmarthenshire County Council on Surrey and Essex with commercial She is one of Town’s founding
road/footway and cycle schemes. and residential aspirations) and partners.
housebuilders with options at local
Housing and Mixed-Used Schemes examination stage. She is currently
Town have acted on appeals for advising and acting for JP Morgan in
Bellway in Buckingham; for A2 connection with a retail park
Dominion at Siege Cross, West in Broxbourne.
Berkshire; at Forest Farm at
Chippenham and Manor Farm in Schools and Colleges
Guildford Borough for Gleeson Advising two establishments on their
Strategic Land, and Home Group on development plans involving MOL
a strategic mixed-used scheme in in Camden and Haringey and one
Sutton. She has secured consent on language school.
appeal for a residential scheme in the
AONB in Chipping Camden, for Cove Hotels
Homes in Swallowfield, a mixed-used Currently advising on three hotel
scheme in Richmond upon Thames projects in London at various stages
(for Goldcrest), a bespoke architect in the development pipeline including
designed dwelling in Islington in a a proposed Hoxton Hotel being
Conservation Area/setting of several challenged by way of judicial review.
listed buildings.

Retirement and Care Homes
Acting and advising Churchill
Retirement Living, Carebase and
Elysian Residences.

4

PARTNER

Duncan Field

duncan.fi[email protected]
07778 487817 | 020 3893 0409

Experience

London City Airport Olympus Property Holding Limited Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Advising on the development of the Advising on the proposed Advising on the redevelopment of Howe Barracks,
airport over the past 20 years including refurbishment and regeneration of the Canterbury for c. 500 dwellings.
its latest infrastructure project known Olympia Exhibition site to deliver
as the City Airport Development improved exhibition and conferencing
Programme and the associated facilities, offices, hotel accommodation,
planning permission and compulsory retail, leisure and new cultural uses.
purchase orders.
McLaren Group
The Crown Estate Advising on the extension of the
Advising on its regeneration McLaren campus in Woking, Surrey.
programme for Regent Street and St
James’s in Central London over the past London Luton Airport
15 years involving the development of Advising on the expansion of the
landmark buildings for a mix of uses Airport to increase capacity to 18
including retail, offices, hotels, million passengers per annum.
residential and extensive public realm
improvements. PD Ports
Advising on the 1.5 million TEUs
Hinduja Group and OHL Desarrollos Northern Gateway Container Terminal
Acting for the Hinduja/OHL joint at Teesport.
venture in relation to the
redevelopment of the Old War Office in London Legacy Development
Whitehall, Central London as a luxury Corporation
hotel with apartments. Advising on the post-Games
transformation of the Olympic
Stadium.

Duncan advises on major infrastructure projects and regeneration schemes around the UK.  He was
previously head of planning law at Norton Rose Fulbright and was also a specialist planning partner at
Wragge & Co and SJ Berwin.   Duncan led the team that won the Real Estate Team of the Year at the
British Legal Awards in 2016 and Planning Law Firm of the Year at the UK Planning Awards in 2017.
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PARTNER

Clare Fielding

clare.fi[email protected]
07809 200 214 | 0203 893 0382

Clare spent eight years at the Bank of England, seven at
Slaughter and May (where she qualified as a solicitor),
seven at Herbert Smith; and four at Gowling WLG before
becoming one of Town’s founding partners. She has a
wide-ranging planning practice, focused in the main on
major development projects in London and the South East,
acting for private sector developers and landowners.

Experience

Battersea Power Station St James Stanhope/Schroders JV
Development Company White City Living and Croydon Gateway CPO
Redevelopment of Centre House, White inquiry, LB Croydon
Battersea Power Station, City, LBHF
LB Wandsworth Arsenal Football Club
Greenwich Hospital Emirates Stadium and
Sellar Redevelopment of associated regeneration,
Shard Place and Canada Greenwich Market, RB LB Islington
Water regeneration, LB Greenwich
Southwark
Minerva plc
Derwent London St Botolphs and the
White Collar Factory, LB Minerva Building (Canon
Islington Street), City of London

6

PARTNER

Raj Gupta

[email protected]
07920 702 459 | 0203 893 0400

Experience

Claims against HS2
Including for Freightliner, IM Group, Canfield, Curzon Park,
Booker Group and Grinsaem
Crossrail
Shard Place and Canada Water regeneration, LB Southwark
London Development Agency/Greater London Authority
Promoting the Olympics CPO and acting on compensation claims
Transport for London
Advising on securing and implementing powers for various projects
including the East London Line Extension and the Silvertown Tunnel and on
landmark compensation claims including Spirerose and Urban Edge

Raj specialises in all aspects of compulsory purchase law
and is particularly well-known for his expertise advising
on land compensation law on infrastructure consenting.
Before joining Town, Raj led Pinsent Masons’ compulsory
purchase team for three years having previously spent ten
years at Eversheds. Raj is an elected member of the national
committee of the Compulsory Purchase Association.

7

PARTNER

Meeta Kaur

[email protected]
07894 172 547 | 0203 893 0383

Meeta is a qualified lawyer and chartered town planner.
She specialises in large scale mixed-use redevelopment
and regeneration schemes, including urban extensions,
in London and across England. She advises on all aspects
of planning and associated areas and issues, such as
highways, compulsory purchase, CIL, heritage, affordable
housing and scheme viability, on both the contentious
and non-contentious side. Before Town, Meeta spent 12
years at King & Wood Mallesons (previously SJ Berwin) and
before that was a senior planning officer at Westminster
City Council.

Experience St William Homes Eco Bos Developments
Proposed redevelopment of Fulham Proposed eco-community at Carclaze in
Quintain Gasworks Cornwall
Regeneration of Wembley and revised
masterplan for Wembley Park Meyer Bergman Northants
Retail-led redevelopment of Vinopolis Wellingborough North urban extension
Hutchison Whampoa
Redevelopment of Convoy’s Wharf Commercial Estates Group
in Lewisham Sustainable urban extension north east
of Leicester
British Land
Clarges Estate in Mayfair, Putney High
Street in Putney, Blossom Street in
Shoreditch and Eden Walk in Kingston

8

PARTNER

Simon Ricketts

[email protected]
07711 924 945 | 0203 893 0384

Experience Richborough Estates
Suffolk Coastal Supreme Court
British Land proceedings
Blossom Street, Shoreditch
The Collective
Lands Improvement Holdings Old Oak co-living
Houghton Regis urban extension
Mount Anvil
Quintain Whitechapel Central
Wembley regeneration
Capital and Regional
Fawley Waterside Walthamstow town centre
Former Fawley power station site
development, Hampshire London Eye
London Eye retention

Simon specialises in planning, compulsory purchase and related public law issues in relation to
major mixed-use development schemes across England. Before co-founding Town he was head
of planning and environmental law first at SJ Berwin and then King & Wood Mallesons. He has
been ranked as the country’s most highly rated planning solicitor for the last nine years running
in Planning magazine’s annual survey. He is author of the Simonicity planning law blog.

9

PARTNER

Patrick Robinson

[email protected]
07785 254 981 | 0203 893 0385

Patrick spent thirty-eight years at Herbert Smith Freehills before becoming one of Town’s
founding partners. He is the firm’s Managing Partner, and continues to practice across all
areas of contentious and non-contentious planning work. He brings to the subject the
broader experience of a development real estate lawyer’s background.

Experience British Land
Broadgate
22 Bishopsgate Limited Partnership
22 Bishopsgate Carlyle Group
Sampson House and Ludgate House
Elizabeth House Limited Partnership
Elizabeth House Trustees of the Tate Gallery
Tate Modern
Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS
Foundation Trust Aermont Capital
Royal Brompton Hospital No 1 Poultry

Parkhurst Road Limited
Parkhurst Road

1010

CONSULTANT

Martin Dawbney

[email protected]

07785 775 044 | 020 3893 0399

Experience Native Land
Advising on the use of a Guardian
Euro Tunnel arrangement to mitigate rates
Establishing a rateable value for the liability in respect of a commercial
(UK section of the) Channel Tunnel building awaiting demolition and
redevelopment, including acting on
Harrods the case before the VTE
Acting on tribunal cases in respect of
the 2000 and 2005 lists Marsh Corporate Services
Acting on a case before the Valuation
Selfridges Tribunal, where it was decided that
Acting on a tribunal case in respect of two separate office blocks should be
the 2000 list assessed as one due to mutuality
of purpose
Time Inc. (UK) Ltd
Advising on a judicial review and
ultimate settlement in the light of
retrospective liability imposed
under the 2010 list in the light of
the Mazars decision

Martin is a consultant specialising in business rates law, having spent over 30 years at Herbert
Smith (latterly Herbert Smith Freehills) as a property lawyer with an ancillary rating practice.
His work ranges from day-to-day advice on rates mitigation schemes and completion notices
to running complex cases before the Lands Tribunal for England (VTE) and the Upper Tribunal
(Lands Chamber). He has particular expertise in the issues arising from the Supreme Court
decision in Woolway v Mazars.

1111

Our associates

Paul Amy Ricardo Susannah Victoria
Arnett Bennett Gama Herbert McKeegan

paul.arnett amy.bennett ricardo.gama susannah.herbert victoria.mckeegan
@townlegal.com @townlegal.com @townlegal.com @townlegal.com @townlegal.com
020 3893 0410
020 3893 0407 0203 893 0394 0203 893 0386 0203 893 0395

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Lucy George Juliet Spencer
Morton Morton Jack Munn Tewis-Allen

lucy.morton george.mortonjack juliet.munn spencer.tewis-allen
@townlegal.com @townlegal.com @townlegal.com @townlegal.com
020 3893 0408 0203 893 0387
0203 893 0401 0203 893 0392

“Town Legal has assembled a group of lawyers and counsel with
extensive experience of major, complex projects, planning
inquiries and strategy.”

Chambers and Partners 2018

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Town Legal LLP TOWN
LEGAL
e: [email protected] LLP
t: 0203 893 0370

w: www.townlegal.com

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