Real Estate Development

Developers, land promoters, investors and landowners come to us for our expertise, commerciality, responsive service, depth of specialism and value for money. Our specialist development lawyers can support you and provide a tailored service on all aspects of property development.

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Key contact

James Simpson

I deal with a wide range of issues including development, investment, landlord and tenant, and funding work. My particular focus and experience lies in residential development, strategic land transactions, complex collaborations, and Joint Ventures.

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Meet the team

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Experts in property development

Our property development team understand that development can be complex and difficult to navigate at times. We have a dedicated team who can guide you through the various issues that can arise on projects and whose focus will be on helping you to complete your project in a cost-effective way on time, while providing pragmatic and commercially-sound advice.

It’s in the team’s DNA to think laterally and to  communicate clearly with you and your other consultants, looking at your project holistically and providing the right specialists for your project. Where appropriate, our core real estate development lawyers work alongside specialist colleagues where appropriate in areas as diverse as planning, corporate, construction, banking and agriculture.

As property development specialists we can anticipate issues early on and identify solutions that are both practical and commercial before they cost you time and money. In a market where there are always challenges, it pays to use lawyers who provide flexible, transparent and tailored advice to meet the specific needs of each client.

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Working with our real estate development clients

Our property development team acts for developers, land promoters, housing providers, landowners, and property portfolio owners of all shapes and sizes – both in the public and private sectors.

Clients include a national regeneration agency , one of the largest private house builders in the country, established building contractors, well-known funders of development projects and numerous high profile education establishments which are regularly involved in development projects.

Whether it’s acquisition or disposal, land promotion, joint ventures, planning, construction, plot sales or development finance, we’ll work with you as part of your extended team, keeping your commercial aims in mind, and helping you achieve them.

Property development solicitors you can rely on at every stage

As property development solicitors, our team covers the full lifecycle of a scheme, from site acquisition solicitors work and option agreement land negotiations through to planning, construction and disposal. Whether you need residential development solicitors for a housing scheme, or a real estate development law firm to structure a joint venture property development with multiple parties, we bring the same commercial, pragmatic approach to every instruction.

Our land development lawyer team regularly advises on planning permission solicitors’ work alongside the wider transaction, ensuring planning risk is properly accounted for in your commercial terms from the outset. As property developer solicitors acting for landowners, promoters and house builders alike, we understand that development timelines and funding structures rarely run in a straight line, and we’re structured to keep pace with that.

Services from our Real Estate team

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Hear what our clients say about us

We recently engaged Cara Keen’s services at HCR Law and were delighted with the promptness and smoothness of our transaction.

Cara and her team are incredibly efficient, taking the stress out of the process and making it a pleasure to work with them. So much so that we have engaged their legal services again, and we are confident this transaction will be just as seamless as the last.

Jo Balding TMO Highways

I recently completed a commercial property purchase with support from Cara Keen at HCR’s Norwich office. The process was handled with clarity, professionalism, and excellent communication throughout. Cara was consistently responsive, thorough, and pragmatic, even when navigating complex lease and VAT elements. I felt fully supported and well-advised from start to finish. Highly recommended.

SK, Investor Landlord Warwickshire

Laura has lots of experience and is incredibly committed to doing the best job possible for her clients.

Client testimonial Chambers 2026

Gemma is an exceptional planning lawyer, with impressive knowledge of legislation, case law and its implications.

Client testimonial Chambers 2026

Marc is very responsive, client-focused and pragmatic in giving advice to achieve the intended outcome.

Client testimonial Chambers 2026

James is remarkably calm and very solid. He provides a very valuable service and I trust his judgement.

Client testimonial Chambers 2026

Colin has provided a comprehensive and supportive service to the organisation, demonstrating a significant depth of knowledge and experience in his field.

Client testimonial Chambers 2026

Thank you so much for all of your support with our transaction. Our Chair of the Building Committee and myself are so grateful for both your professionalism and for the personal commitments that you both made to support the School.

The matter required a quick resolution to ensure that the school was able to secure the facility promptly, as otherwise there was a risk they would lose their existing use of the site altogether. However thanks to the work of Morgan and James, as well as assistance from the wider team of Paul Watkins, Steve Thomas and Oliver Daniels the school was able to secure the site and the assets of the outgoing operator in a timely manner.

Bromsgrove School Sport centre acquisition

The team is knowledgeable, flexible, very engaging and highly responsive. They took care to understand our needs and priorities, gave well considered guidance, and looked after our interests while being pragmatic and enabling progress. They were tenacious in progressing challenges, and diligent in following up.

Client testimonial Legal 500 2026

Helen Mutucumarana is the partner who led on our project, and I cannot speak highly enough of her approach. Helen was always prepared to make herself available, was forthcoming with advice and knowledge, and I especially appreciated her dedication in chasing down responses from the other party.

Client testimonial Legal 500 2026

Helen Mutucumarana – commercially astute, hardworking and responsive, Helen is very experienced and highly regarded – an exceptional property lawyer.

Client testimonial Legal 500 2026

National head of property development James Simpson and head of the Cambridge commercial real estate group Helen Mutucumarana, who has specialist experience in the life sciences, biotechnology, technology, media and emerging tech markets, are recognised leaders in their fields.

The Legal 500 2025 Real Estate

How can we help you?

Frequently Asked Questions

A section 106 agreement is a legal agreement between a developer and a local planning authority, used to make a development acceptable in planning terms that wouldn’t otherwise be. It typically covers obligations like affordable housing, infrastructure contributions or public open space, and is negotiated alongside the planning application itself. Our real estate development solicitors work through these agreements as standard, making sure the obligations you sign up to are ones your scheme can actually deliver.

Planning permission typically takes 8 to 13 weeks from a valid application for straightforward schemes, though larger or more complex developments, particularly those requiring a section 106 agreement or committee referral, can take significantly longer. Timescales are heavily influenced by the local authority, the scale of the scheme and whether objections are raised. Our planning permission solicitors work alongside your project team from the outset to keep the process on track and avoid unnecessary delays.

An option agreement gives a developer the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within a set period, usually once planning permission has been secured. It lets a developer tie up a site and pursue planning without committing to the full purchase price upfront, while giving the landowner a guaranteed buyer if the option is exercised. We regularly draft and negotiate option agreements for both developers and landowners, making sure the trigger points and pricing mechanism actually work for both sides.

A joint venture agreement sets out how two or more parties, often a landowner, developer and funder, will work together on a scheme, covering profit share, decision making, funding contributions and what happens if things go wrong. For joint venture property development, getting this structure right at the outset is often more important than any other part of the deal. We advise on the full range of JV structures, from simple profit share arrangements to more complex corporate joint ventures.

Development finance is short term funding used to cover the cost of building or converting a property, usually released in stages as the works progress rather than as a single lump sum. It’s distinct from a standard mortgage or investment loan because it’s tied to the build programme itself. We regularly advise developers and funders on the legal side of these arrangements, from drawdown conditions to security and exit routes.