A compulsory purchase order is an important tool available to public bodies, in order to overcome hurdles in land assembly; enabling strategic infrastructure, regeneration and development projects to proceed.
Our CPO team of real estate and planning lawyers advise acquiring authorities at every stage of the compulsory purchase process. We provide expert guidance on the use of the appropriate compulsory purchase power and the authority’s decisions to make the orders, drafting and service of the orders and supporting documents, and conducting public inquiries. Following confirmation of the order, we deal with the transfer of the land and the settling of compensation including, where there is dispute, references to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). We use our expertise in advising on the compulsory purchase elements of development consent orders and other infrastructure authorisation procedures.
We also provide support to authorities on judicial reviews of decisions to make or confirm compulsory purchase orders.
As well as acting for public bodies promoting compulsory purchase orders, we also represent landowners affected by compulsory purchase by assisting in raising objections to orders made and in securing all the compensation to which they are entitled under the CPO compensation code.
- Acted for the Royal Borough of Greenwich in the compulsory acquisition of freehold and leasehold land on the Ferrier Estate to enable the re-development of one of London’s most significant developments, the Kidbrooke Estate.
- Acted for Herefordshire County Council in the compulsory acquisition of predominantly agricultural land for the construction of a new link road to the south of Hereford City Centre.
- Acting for Hertfordshire County Council in the compulsory acquisition of 10 hectares of land in Stevenage to secure a site for a new secondary school and existing primary school.
- Acted for Daventry District Council in the compulsory acquisition of former highway land to form part of development site for a major town centre retail development.
- Infrastructure: acted for affected landowners and the NFU on High Speed Rail legislation and acting for various landowners and public bodies on development consent orders involving road and energy schemes.
- Acting for Thanet District Council in reference of a claim for compensation to the Upper Tribunal by previous landowners of “Dreamland”, Margate.
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