Holding Redlich was named in the Australasian Legal Business Guide to the State of the Market for Environmental Lawyers as a leading environmental law firm in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane .

The Guide states that Holding Redlich is “commercial in its legal advice and impressed clients with its service”; has a “can-do” attitude and a “fantastic” information turnaround, meets “tight deadlines” and is “very reasonably” priced.

The Guide also highlights the legal skill and knowledge of Holding Redlich’s Partners and their width and depth of experience in both the public and private sectors.

Members of our planning and environment law practice group have hands on experience gained from working both with and within planning authorities. Coupled with our work for the private sector, this enables us to provide our clients with practical, strategic and knowledgeable advice in relation to environmental, planning and regulatory issues.

We act for developers, institutional and other owners, investors, financiers, construction companies, energy and utility and other infrastructure providers, resource companies, government departments and agencies, including the NSW Department of Planning, local Councils, consultants and others involved in the development, management and regulation of property, natural resources and infrastructure projects.

In addition to providing advice on planning and environmental laws, we have a strong reputation in connection with transactional issues, advocacy and mediation.

Our planning and environment group provides legal services in relation to:

• green buildings and infrastructure;
• energy efficiency and renewable energy;
• emissions reporting and trading;
• obtaining, defending and challenging consents, permits, licences and other approvals;
• navigating planning controls and other regulatory requirements and addressing assessment criteria procedures, including the preparation of applications and environmental assessments supporting those applications;
• drafting environmental planning instruments, planning agreements and other planning documentation and statutory interpretation;
• allocation of risk and liability in connection with the acquisition disposal and development of land, including contaminated sites;
• pollution incidents;
• environmental and planning and other prosecutions;
• environmental compliance and due diligence;
• management and remediation of contaminated land;
• environmental risk assessment;
• biodiversity;
• waste management;
• tribunal and court proceedings, including merit appeals and legal challenges, and alternate dispute resolution;
• resumptions, land compensation and the valuation of land;
• heritage laws;
• native vegetation and threatened species legislation;
• the law and practice of government administration; and
• other areas of the law concerning the use, development and management of land and resources and the carrying out of infrastructure projects.

Recent Projects

These have included (and this is but a small example):

• providing planning and environmental advice in connection with the removal and remediation of contaminated river sediments in the south arm of the Hunter River in connection with the proposed dredging and excavation of the south arm to facilitate extension of shipping channels in the Port of Newcastle;
• acting on the acquisition of an interest in the 6 star Green Star and 5 star NABERS Energy development at 1 Bligh Street, Sydney;
• acting on the acquisition, remediation and development of the former CUB Sydney Brewery site;
• advising and making submissions on behalf of Westfield Management Limited to Panels Victoria in relation to proposed amendments to the Casey Planning Scheme;
• assisting Westfield in relation to planning and environmental matters for its Bay City, Plenty Valley, Doncaster, Fountain Gate and Southland Shopping Centres;
• acting on the purchase of other city office buildings and development sites and dealing with issues ranging from the green rating of buildings, heritage floor space, the true effect of development consents and ongoing obligations impacting on the value of the buildings;
• acting on the development of land and maximising development potential, dealing with issues ranging from the payment of planning contributions to compliance with probity requirements and including the impacts of ecologically endangered fauna and flora, Ombudsman inquiries, dealing with neighbours and opponents and navigating the approvals system;
• acting for the NSW Department of Planning in its processing of applications for major projects;
• acting for the NSW Minister for Planning in prosecuting a coal mining company for breaching its project approval;
• acting for private sector clients in defending environmental prosecutions (including breaching licence conditions, polluting waterways and cutting down trees);
• acting on the resumption of land and land compensation matters (and negotiating agreements to avoid litigation) and advising and appearing in land tax and land valuation matters
• appearing in the courts and appeals tribunals seeking development consents, permits and other approvals and defending consents and other planning appeals. (We acted for Frasers Property Group in successfully defending the first challenge to a major project approval given by the NSW Minister for Planning);
• acting for owners and purchasers of contaminated industrial land, former service station sites and asbestos contaminated buildings;
• preparing Voluntary Planning Agreements, advising on the wording of applications and supporting documentation;
• drafting construction documentation incorporating green ratings and similar requirements;
• acting on the development of coal seam gas fields and pipelines and the sale of those and other resources;
• advising on compliance with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme (emissions reporting) and the forthcoming mandatory energy efficiency disclosure scheme and Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (emissions trading); and
• advising on and structuring the contractual framework for more than 15 green rated projects throughout Queensland for both the developer and the contractor including the Northbridge, Bundall Corporate Centre II, Orion Springfield, SW1 and AM60 developments.

And there is much more.

We work as a National team dealing with State and Commonwealth laws in their commercial and practical context. Richard Abbott, Chris Lovell, Lou Farinotti, Michael Byrom, Scott Lambert (who has Green Star Accreditation), Grant Parker, St John Frawley, and Carolyn Chudleigh, each with their particular areas of expertise, work together and with our other Partners and with senior associates, including Robert Moses and Kate George, to deliver a standard of legal service across the eastern states which has earned our firm the recognition given by Australasian Legal Business.