Making sure you have the right planning advice needs someone with commercial judgement and experience as well as an in-depth knowledge of the law.

Our highly experienced planning solicitors balance these skills and knowledge.

Our expertise has been nationally recognised, with Lester Aldridge ranked joint 15th among the highest-rated planning law firms in the UK in Planning magazine’s 2025 Planning Law Survey.

They can provide both on issues of all types and complexities relating to both contentious and non-contentious planning issues for developers and would relish the opportunity to assist you and work with you to obtain the best outcome for your development project.

We will work with you and your other advisors, to ensure that you have coordinated timely and commercial advice on the legal aspects of your issue or project. This experience also enables us to recommend other suitable professionals to become part of the professional team as issues arise.

Our team’s expertise covers a wide range of sectors and includes residential development, care and retirement living, hotels and leisure and marina and port-related developments.

How can our planning law solicitors help?

Our real estate solicitors offer a broad range of services for developers, all focused on achieving implementable planning consents, as cost-effectively and quickly as possible. We have particular experience in:

• Advising developers on planning submissions. This includes:
  • The packaging of the planning proposal in order to demonstrate compliance with UK and EU law as well as national and local planning policies;
  • The negotiation of planning and infrastructure agreements, including the delivery of affordable housing;
  • Advising on of the impact of the Community Infrastructure Levy and ways to minimise the level of liability;
  • Reviewing draft planning conditions;
  • Applications for Certificates of Lawful Use;
  • Advice on the availability and use of permitted development rights – for example the conversion of office premises to residential;
  • Operating in a broad range of sectors, such as housebuilding, ports, care, retail and offices;
    • Acting for national developers such as McCarthy & Stone (the UK’s leading developer of retirement homes and apartments)
  • Planning litigation, for example:
    • Planning appeals (by way of public inquiry or hearing or by way of written representations);
    • Judicial review of and statutory challenges to planning decisions;
    • Planning-related crime – in particular defending planning, listed building or TPO-related enforcement action by local planning authorities.

What is the process?

You are welcome to contact our planning and environment team for an initial informal discussion about your issue, on a confidential basis and without charge.

Every matter is different and we deal with a wide variety of types of advice and issues; as our advice and recommendations are always tailored to your circumstances and objectives, our planning solicitors will discuss the specific time scales, costs and procedure with you individually. However, we will be able to outline the process going forward with you in each case.