Cripps Harries Hall

Planning & environment

Most building works and changes of use need planning permission. The planning and environmental regulation system is constantly changing and becoming ever more complex.

What we do

We guide you through the whole planning and environment process from strategic housing developments, mixed use schemes, regeneration projects to smaller housebuilder planning issues. We keep you informed of the latest law and policy:

  • Planning applications and planning, highway and utility agreements
  • Planning and enforcement appeals, and claims for judicial review
  • Dealing with contaminated land and other environmental issues
  • Listed building consents and tree preservation orders
  • Compulsory purchase advice
  • Closure and diversion of highways and other rights of way

We also provide planning and environment support for our residential and commercial property lawyers.

Our clients

Our clients include housebuilders, commercial developers and large occupiers, as well as utility companies, government departments, registered providers, local authorities, large landowners and private individuals. 

Why Cripps Harries Hall?

Although getting the right planning permission can be critical, we realise that for you planning is just part of a wider objective, which we can help you achieve. Our dedicated planning and environment team has years of experience, but is fully integrated into our wider property practice.

Next steps

For further information please contact Jason Towell.

Latest news Date
+ Cripps Harries Hall acts for Wates Developments in landmark win
Victoria Back and Jason Towell of Cripps Harries Hall were delighted to have acted for Wates Developments Limited on a recent high profile planning appeal win.
09/08/2011
  • Acting for Wates Homes Limited and Martin Grant Homes Limited in developing a new planning gain (section 106 agreement) mechanism to ensure developer contributions for a new 600 home neighbourhood in Horley, Surrey. This was recognised in a document by Department for Communities and Local Government as a beacon of good practice and the way forward
  • Advising Berkeley Homes (Eastern) Limited in negotiating with the Highways Agency and Kent County Council on highways agreements to provide for works to the M20 motorway to facilitate the development of a redundant quarry for 1,000 homes
  • Acting for Barratt Homes in securing a section 106 variation agreement to save over £1.5 million in terms of education contributions
  • Running a successful appeal at inquiry for GLN (Copenhagen) Southern Limited in relation to obtaining planning consent for a large mixed use town centre re-development incorporating retail (over 7,000m²), leisure and residential uses
  • Acting for the successful applicant in R (on the application of Wates) v Surrey County Council [2008] EWHC 706 (Admin). The case was a judicial review overturning the grant by Surrey County Council of planning permission for a large development in the Greenbelt
Name Role Contact
Beth Gascoyne Associate +44 (0)1892 506 324
Jason Towell Partner +44 (0)1892 506 218
Legal updates view all
+ Planning law - Draft National Planning Policy Framework - Is this the return to planning by appeal? - August 2011
The draft National Planning Policy Framework (draft NPPF) has been described as the most important planning document since the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. This may be putting it too highly but it will certainly be a very important planning document. The draft NPPF was published on 25 July and is already attracting a great deal of comment during its 12 week consultation period which ends on 17 October.
 09/08/2011
+ Planning law - Cala Homes II: where do we now stand with Regional Strategies? - March 2011
With David Cameron's Big Society being one of the major talking points in domestic politics, its implications through the proposed Localism Bill are already being felt in the planning world. The proposed abolition of Regional Strategies in the forthcoming Bill has been the subject of two recent judicial review cases, that I will call Cala Homes I and Cala Homes II. Despite the High Court ruling in Cala Homes II that the intention of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to abolish Regional Strategies should be a material consideration for planning decision makers.
 31/03/2011
+ Planning law update - The Localism Bill - not as bad as it could have been? - December 2010
When the Conservative Party published its Green Paper "Open Source Planning" many feared for the future of the planning system. Now that the Localism Bill has been published (13 December 2010) a few of the fears have been allayed.
 14/12/2010
+ Planning law update - adapting to the new planning world - October 2010
In this new planning world that we are now working in many of us have tales of Councils delaying their review of LDF documents, refusing to determine applications, refusing allocated site applications, or even removing allocated sites from development plans.
 01/10/2010

Key contacts

Jason Towell
Planning & environment
+44 (0)1892 506 218
e-mail