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Laura Greenman

Partner, Planning, Highways & Environment

Why choose me

I find it very rewarding watching a development progress from the first plans to an occupied and working building, and I think that there are some incredible developments underway which can help and provide for local communities but take into account the interests of other stakeholders too.

Planning involves a wide range of people, and my focus is to make sure that I keep clients informed about the consequences of their proposals and look ahead for them so that, with my understanding of their priorities and concerns, I can advise them well in the long term.

Because I have worked for local authorities and for individual clients, I can see a problem in the round – dealing with public bodies, landowners, statutory authorities and charitable bodies means that I am used to taking on board a wide range of concerns and demands.

Outside work, I enjoy running, spin classes and being outdoors.

Contact details

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Teams I work with

I find it very rewarding watching a development progress from the first plans to an occupied and working building, and I think that there are some incredible developments underway which can help and provide for local communities but take into account the interests of other stakeholders too.

Planning involves a wide range of people, and my focus is to make sure that I keep clients informed about the consequences of their proposals and look ahead for them so that, with my understanding of their priorities and concerns, I can advise them well in the long term.

Because I have worked for local authorities and for individual clients, I can see a problem in the round – dealing with public bodies, landowners, statutory authorities and charitable bodies means that I am used to taking on board a wide range of concerns and demands.

Outside work, I enjoy running, spin classes and being outdoors.

Related services and specialisms from HCR Law

Questions my clients ask me

As of 1 October 2018, local planning authorities will need to obtain the developer’s agreement to grant a planning permission subject to pre-commencement conditions. If such a request is not responded to within 10 working days, the developer will be deemed to have agreed to the imposition of the pre-commencement condition. Unfortunately this means that where a developer would like to object to such conditions, negotiations with the local planning authority could become protracted.

The community infrastructure levy (CIL) is now in force, but not all local planning authorities have yet adopted a charging schedule. Even where a CIL charging schedule is in force, there are certain circumstances in which a s106 agreement will still be called for by the council. Therefore, each application will need to be considered on its particular facts to ensure that all contributions sought are necessary and fairly and reasonably related to the scale of development proposed.

Typically the time limit within which to bring a judicial review claim is three months, however a short time limit of six weeks applies in relation to planning decisions. A party must have a sufficient interest in a planning decision to bring a claim and such a claim will allege that the planning decision was made unlawfully, irrationally or following a flawed decision-making process. These points will be the first hurdles in considering a challenge by way of judicial review.

Read what my clients say about me

When a couple were looking to sell their property, they found that historic s106 obligations – which can restrict the development or use of the land – limited its occupation. By having these obligations removed, the value of the property would be increased. At this point, they turned to Laura Greenman, Partner in the Planning, Highways and Environment team for help.

Laura worked closely with her clients’ planning consultants to prepare the necessary submissions to successfully seek the removal of the s106 tie.

While this was initially met with some resistance, Laura engaged with the council and was able to convince them that the tie was no longer necessary and could be set aside.

Following the council’s decision to remove the s106 obligations, Laura’s clients’ provided this testimonial:

“We just wanted to thank you for your excellent professional services in obtaining this result; without you we would not have achieved this positive outcome and we are very grateful. We will make sure we recommend you to everyone.”

Restrictive obligations removed thanks to Planning, Highways and Environment Partner’s expertise

When a safety footwear business needed storage and warehousing to support its growth, they were able to find the expert advice across the real estate team to handle all the commercial property, construction, planning and regulatory issues linked to the storage units, including negotiations with national developers.

We were able to help them to acquire four large new build industrial units close to motorway access over eight years – three on a long leasehold and one on a medium-term lease. We handled the extensive documentations and the negotiations, providing a seamless service. Mark Carter and Laura Greenman both contributed.

The client said: “Many thanks for once again leading us through the labyrinth of acquiring the lease … every time I forget the complexities and pitfalls. But no matter what comes up, you resolve it, and do so fast enough to maintain momentum.

“The more we dabble in property the more I understand the value of true professionals on our side. Many thanks for another excellent result.”

Team expertise supports new build industrial unit acquisition

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