
Robert Bruce
Partner
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‘Robert Bruce stands out. He thinks outside the box and always has the client’s aims in mind.’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
Robert has over 20 years of experience advising public and private sector clients on planning, infrastructure, compulsory purchase/compensation, highways, community infrastructure levy and local government law. He principally advises in the residential, infrastructure, commercial, offices, retail and mixed-use sectors.
Robert has particular expertise advising on large urban, greenfield and other developments, infrastructure, compulsory purchase and compensation issues.
He advises clients on strategic issues, DCO applications, CPOs, Transport and Work Act Orders and Hybrid Bills for infrastructure, S106 planning agreements, S38/278 highways agreements, highway orders, planning policies, challenging and defending public authority decisions in court and at planning inquiries, the community infrastructure levy, EIA, SEA, habitats appropriate assessments, enforcement action, listed buildings, conservation areas, tree preservation orders and advertisements.
Robert has a track record of combining detailed knowledge of the law with commercially minded advice to provide solutions and deliver results.
Robert is ranked as a leading individual in Chambers & Partners (2024 edition) as a Leading Individual and is listed as a Recommended Lawyer in The Legal 500 (2024 edition).
Legal Services
Planning
Robert has particular expertise advising on large urban, greenfield and other developments in London and around the Country.
Examples of how we have helped:
- Advised the developer partners of a London mixed-use, town centre regeneration project (1,500,000 sq m including 78,000 sq m shopping centre extension, 395,000 sq m of offices and 7,500 homes) and £1b of infrastructure and planning benefits
- Advised developers and Councils across the County on various large residential or mixed use developments of 100 to 5,100 homes including at a public inquiries
- Advising a major national house builder on EIA and planning matters on two mixed use tower developments including 565 and 300 dwellings on surplus land around north London tube stations
- Advising a private equity developer on a redevelopment for a 4,500 sq m hotel and a Grade II* listed building for a café, affordable workspace and Class B2 industrial use in Whitechapel including at the call-in public inquiry
- Advising a London Council on S106 agreements for major developments such as a development for various towers up to 16 storeys for 1,750 dwellings, Classes A1, A3 and A4 uses, offices and other commercial uses, Classes D1 and D2 uses and a mixed use development including 750 dwellings
- Advising a London Council on highways agreements for a large phased development including around 1,750 new dwellings
- Advised a major developer on a business park including 13,250m2 of employment floorspace (Classes B1, B2 and B8), 310 residential units and a primary school site extension
- Advised a market-leading minerals developer and operator on S106 agreements for its minerals sites
- Various highways matters including stopping up, diversions and public rights of way including vehicular access issues
Recent Work
Compulsory Purchase; CPO; CPO Compensation
Robert has particular expertise in advising clients, particularly developers, land owners and objectors and interested public authorities and similar stakeholders, on large infrastructure, compulsory purchase and compensation issues.
Examples of how we have helped
- Heathrow Third Runway DCO – Acting for Council
- A303 Tunnelling of Stonehenge DCO – Acting for heritage body
- HS2 – Wide variety of land owners across the Country, including challenging the Government’s original decision through to the Supreme Court
- Oxford to Cambridge Expressway Proposed DCO – Acted for land owner
- Esso Aviation Fuel Pipeline DCO – Acting for affected supermarket
- London Resort DCO – Acting for land owner
- Thames Tideway Tunnel DCO – Acted for affected restaurant barge owner
- East West Rail Transport and Works Act Order – Acting for approximately 10 land owners
- Crossrail Transport and Works Act Order – Acted for land owner of affected major development site
- Milford Haven Biomass Renewable Energy Plant (Wales) – Acted for promoter
- Housing regeneration scheme CPO for approximately 3,500 homes – Acted for Council acquiring authority
- Thanet Wind Farm onshore cable CPO – Acted for promoter
- Other relevant experience – Various large road schemes, other infrastructure proposals and compensation issues, including claims in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chambers) such as a multi-million pound claim for a medical centre
Judicial Review
Robert has particular expertise advising in challenging and defending major planning Court cases.
Examples of how we have helped
- Challenged and defended major Court cases on planning matters, including for a major supermarket chain, a market-leading builders’ merchant, institutional clients, major developers and land owners, objectors and public authorities and two cases that went through to the Supreme Court on HS2 and important issues on planning conditions
Planning Appeals
Robert has particular expertise advising in appealing and defending major planning decisions at planning appeals.
Examples of how we have helped
- Advised the developer on a public inquiry for a mixed-use development, including 900 homes, in East Cheshire
- Successful appeal of S106 affordable housing obligations, resulting in a reduction in liability of around £3m
- Appeals relating to listed buildings and enforcement issues
- Has acted for clients in more than 35 public inquiries on planning matters
Community Infrastructure Levy
Robert has particular expertise advising on community infrastructure levy issues, including CIL mitigation strategies, often saving clients significant amounts of money.
Examples of how we have helped
- Advised a wide range of clients on community infrastructure levy issues and CIL mitigation strategies including reducing a CIL liability by £550k and a successful appeal saving the client £1m
Latest
- Mandatory biodiversity net gain rules starting November 2023: Further information published by the Government on 21 February 2023
- Planning Freethinking February 2023: Scope of Section 73 planning applications – recent cases
- Planning Freethinking December 2022: Impacts of the Hillside Parks case – Toddington Lane Appeal
- Supreme Court issues landmark judgment in Hillside Parks case greatly affecting planning & real estate practice
- Supreme Court issues landmark judgment on slot-in planning applications in Hillside Parks Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority [2022] UKSC 30
- Planning Announcements – October 2022: Investment Zones, Mini Budget and Planning Inspectorate Powers
- Challenges for developers and opportunities for landowners: Biodiversity Net Gain and the Natural Capital Economy
- Challenges for developers and opportunities for landowners: Nutrient Neutrality, Water Neutrality and the Natural Capital Economy
- Planning Freethinking: Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill Key Planning Announcements
- Planning Freethinking May 2022: The Queen’s Speech – Planning, Infrastructure and Environment Announcements
- Planning: where to next?
- Freeths Sector Showcase
- Planning Law Update – March 2021
- Planning Law Update – February 2021
- Planning Law Update – January 2021
- Planning conditions requiring dedication of highway land unlawful
- Planning Law Update – December 2020
- Government publishes National Infrastructure Strategy
- Planning Law Update – November 2020
- Planning Law Update – September 2020
- Planning Law Update – August 2020
- Planning For Change: Changes To The Current Planning System Consultation
- Planning For Change: Government White Paper
- Demolition and Redevelopment of Vacant Residential/Commercial Buildings
- Upward Extensions of Existing Homes to create more space within the same dwelling
- Permitted development rights for the construction of new homes – above existing homes and some commercial uses
- Planning Law Update – July 2020
- Fundamental Use Class shake-up in England
- Coronavirus planning update: Other significant issues
- Coronavirus planning update: Enforcement
- Coronavirus planning update: Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 Obligations
- Coronavirus planning update: Permitted Development Rights
- Coronavirus planning update: Automatic extension of English planning permissions
- Coronavirus planning update: Decision taking and impacts on five year housing land supply
- Coronavirus planning update: Plan Making
- Planning Law Update – June 2020
- Planning Law Update – May 2020
- Department for Transport – HS2
- Planning Law Update – April 2020
- Coronavirus: Planning Law
- Planning Law Update – March 2020
- Planning Law Update – February 2020
- Planning Law Update – January 2020
- Planning Law Update – December 2019
- Planning Law Update – October 2019
- Experienced Lawyers in Dealing With Infrastructure and Development Consent Order Applications
- Planning Law Update – September 2019
- Planning Law Update – June 2019
- Farms and Estates Newsletter Spring/Summer 2019
- The Importance of Conditions when Restricting Development
- Planning Law Update – May 2019
- Planning Law Update – April 2019
- Planning Law Update – March 2019
- Have you got the right planning permission for your business?
- Freeths at MIPIM 2019
- Planning Update – January 2019
- Planning Update – December 2018
- Planning Update – November 2018
- Planning Update – October 2018
- Streamlining development proposals, increasing the Planning Inspectorate’s workload or no real change?
- Planning Update – September 2018
- Planning Update – August 2018
- Planning Update – July 2018
- Fresh off the Press – Government Publishes its Revised NPPF On Time
- Planning update June 2018
- Draft Revised NPPF: Key planning changes
- Autumn Budget 2017: Planning Implications
- Planning Update: Tilting the balance
- Planning Permission in Principle – No Need for Outline Permission on Brownfield Land
- Housing White Paper Fixing our broken housing market
- Freeths debate: how do we make the planning system work for business?
To contact Robert or for more information…
Call: 0345 128 6958
Mobile: 0797 953 7088
Or email: Send an email
- Member of the Compulsory Purchase Association
- Member of the National Infrastructure Planning Association
‘Robert Bruce is very knowledgeable and always willing to go the extra mile.’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
‘Robert Bruce is engaging and has a wealth of experience. He challenges clients and is realistic about their chances.’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
‘Robert Bruce values other people’s opinions and is very respectful; he knows there is often more than one solution to a problem. His greatest attribute is to think outside the box and raise issues no one has even started to consider.’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
“His depth of knowledge is excellent and he is creative in his solutions to find a way forward.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2024)
“Robert finds solutions to our issues and safeguards our interests.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2024)
“He is approachable, easy to work with, clear, thoughtful and diligent.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2024)
“Robert provided a consistently high level of service. He was highly responsive to any queries raised, and provided valuable proactive advice on strategy as well as addressing queries from the project team and third parties.”
(Chambers & Partner, 2023)
“Robert Bruce is very knowledgeable and engaging. He has vast experience and is good at speaking to clients first to make sure he fully understands the issues and expectations.”
(Chambers & Partner, 2023)
“I felt our case had much greater weight thanks to the coordination and awareness that Robert brought to our team.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2023)
“Rob is an industry leader in the field of planning and environment legal and commercial advisory work. He is as adept working in both the public and private sectors and brings a commercial edge with a practical application to his work.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2023)
Client service
‘Doing the right thing’ is at the heart of Freeths. Find out more about our excellent client service and the strong set of values that guide the way we work.
Talk to us
Freeths are a leading national law firm with 13 offices across the UK. If you have a query about our services or just want to find out more, why not give us a call?
Contact: 03301 001 014