Our national planning and environment team assists clients in all planning and environment issues inherent in the acquisition, development and use of all types of property (including office towers, shopping centres, residential apartment buildings, industrial estates) and in the acquisition and development of infrastructure projects (including roads, pipelines and mines and quarries).

We advise clients on strategic matters as well as on specific projects.  We also represent our clients before planning and environment courts, tribunals and panels.  Our expertise derives from the depth and range of the experience we have gained in assisting clients in all sectors of the property and infrastructure industries.

Our clients include property owners, developers, construction companies, government departments and agencies, local authorities, landowners and town planners and other consultants.

Our areas of expertise are:

• planning, including appearance before all relevant courts, tribunals and planning panels

• management and remediation of contaminated land

• native vegetation management and control

• defending environmental prosecutions

• due diligence of planning and environmental issues

• compliance with regulatory requirements

• compulsory land acquisition

• government administration

• heritage issues

• local government

• valuation disputes in respect of land acquisition and land tax and local government rates disputes

Some examples of significant planning or environment matters we have recently handled are:

• Acting for Westfield in relation to the redevelopment of all of its shopping centres in Victoria, including providing initial planning advice, appearances before VCAT and planning panels and negotiating terms of planning scheme amendments, planning permits and planning agreements

• Advising and defending EPA prosecutions for a range of clients including manufacturers and food processing industries

• Advising and making submissions on behalf of a sub-regional shopping centre to Panels Victoria in response to the proposed location and subsequent relocation of a major off ramp from Scoresby Freeway onto Police Road

• Acting for Alcoa in relation to a challenge to its rights under its development consents and Protection and Environment Operations Act Licence brought by a commercial competitor with the matter being heard by the High Court in June 2007

• Acting for Alcoa in the preparation of a development application and Environmental Impact Statement and obtaining a development consent from the Land and Environment Court, the application being opposed by the commercial competitor

• Acting in relation to the remediation, environmental and contamination issues involved with a former steel mill in Newcastle

• Advising a major property development corporation on statutory requirements under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 in relation to concept plans and project applications for a warehouse distribution facility

• Advising Frasers Broadway Pty Ltd in relation to its successful purchase of the Carlton United Brewery (CUB) site and successfully defending Land and Environment Court proceedings brought by an objector to the Concept Plan Approval given by the Minister under Part 3A of the EPA Act

• Advising Hutchison Builders on compliance issues relevant to soil stability, creeks and water courses

• Acting for ISPT in relation to due diligence matters including advice on planning issues, local area plans and car park rights in relation to the acquisition and/or development of significant Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane CBD properties

• Acting for Mirvac in relation to water recycling management plan and agreement with Orion Town Centre, energy arrangements with Energex and Orion

• Obtaining Ministerial exemptions on land use controls, development applications and information request responses on all aspects of the subdivision and use of land in south eastern Queensland