Environmental Law

Environmental obligations have increased significantly over recent years and are not limited to those whose activities carry an obvious risk of pollution. We deliver careful and practical strategies and advice in all areas of environmental law for our clients, allowing them to succeed in achieving their objectives as quickly, and with as few hurdles, as possible.

Our services cover all environmental issues. These include defending our clients when facing environmental regulatory action, providing compliance advice, advising on overcoming environmental constraints to planning applications, challenging decisions made by authorities, and bringing and defending civil claims.

Our clients include house builders and other developers, mineral operators, water companies, energy and manufacturing companies, local planning authorities and other public bodies, charitable and non-governmental organisations.

• Our team provides a full range of environmental law services
• We have nationally recognised expertise in key areas, such as protected species and habitats, waste regulation and noise
• Our team of environmental lawyers, based in our Leicester and Sheffield offices, range from partner to solicitor level (plus legal assistants) – which means that we work cost effectively
• Our partners and senior lawyers are magic circle/national law firm-trained

Our areas of expertise

• Natural capital: advising developers, commercial operators, technical consultants and landowners on legal issues relating to the natural capital economy. Our expertise in this emerging market includes advising on the new Biodiversity Net Gain regime, nutrient neutrality and on water neutrality, to assist with compliance with various environmental regulatory or voluntary frameworks.

• Natural environment: securing protected species licences, obtaining planning and other regulatory consents when constrained by habitat/species protection. We’ve recently won a landmark environmental case in Harris vs Environment Agency. For more information please see our press release and supporting legal article.

• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG):  we have a long track record of assisting clients in these areas and our ESG team are on hand to steer businesses, boards, individuals, funds, investors, and other stakeholders through the changing route map of national and regional policies, regulations and frameworks.

• Environmental permits & consents: advising on permit conditions, refusals/appeals

• Waste management & permitting: advising on waste legislation across all sectors, from development to manufacturing; reuse and recycling of materials

• Contaminated land: including remediation responsibilities and apportionment of liabilities; regeneration and redevelopment of contaminated land

• Criminal defence: pollution and waste offences, non-compliance with environmental permitting requirements, wildlife crime

• Abatement notices & nuisance orders: noise, light, odour and other emissions

• Environment & planning: environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, habitats regulations assessment

• Environmental law training courses: for environmental and planning professionals

• Civil litigation & dispute management: claims for damages and injunctions; claims for compensation following works on, or compulsory purchase of, land by bodies such as the Environment Agency, water or sewage undertakers

• Judicial review of environmental decisions and appeal processes: such as appeals against abatement or enforcement notice