Emily acts for clients in the public and private sectors, negotiating and drafting section planning and highway agreements and advising on a wide range of associated matters.
Emily qualified at Sharpe Pritchard and has practised in the planning team since then. She has also worked on secondment in-house at a local authority, a non-governmental statutory body, and a government department.
She is currently a member of Lexis Nexis Q&A Panel for Planning.
Emily negotiates extensive and complex legal agreements related to nationality and locally important development proposals for a wide variety of projects including estate regenerations, garden and urban villages, sports facilities, reservoirs, and transport projects.
I have experience advising clients as part of the pre-application process, reviewing Planning Committee reports and attendance and committees, advising clients on the application of national and local planning policy, and complex CIL queries.
I also work on nationally significant infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008 and advise acquiring authorities on compulsory purchase matters.
Emily Knowles is very approachable, knowledgeable and firm with opposing sides when the need arises. Emily sticks to agreed deadlines and works very hard to deliver agreed outcomes
Legal 500 2024
Rachel Lee and Emily Knowles – Both of these solicitors are extremely knowledgeable in their chosen field and I have utmost confidence in their ability to negotiate the best outcomes for borough residents. Both Rachel and Emily are a pleasure to work with and I’d highly recommend them to other local planning authorities.-
Legal 500 2023
We approached Sharpe Pritchard seeking advice and representation regarding an application for a 4G/5G telecoms installation, less than 30m from our front door. Emily & Rebecca were extremely approachable, informative and relatable. They understood our position, and researched and reviewed the situation as appropriate. They helped us achieve the best position possible, and, in our opinion, their input certainly added expertise and gravitas to our representations presented to Planners, and subsequently, PINS. Both the application and subsequent appeal made by the telecoms company were refused. Should we require further assistance in the future, we would not hesitate to consult with Emily & Rebecca – an honest and forthright team.
Private Client
Just to say a massive thank you to you all at Sharpe Pritchard for helping us out with the estates Outline Planning Applications for the last couple of days. We really appreciated you pitching in and supporting this.
London Borough client contact to Emily following crucial stage in negotiations on major regeneration project.
28 March 2025
On 11 March 2025, the Government introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill into Parliament with a promise to speed up planning decisions and ‘get Britain building’. Sharpe Pritchard’s Planning and Parliamentary team have been analysing the likely implications of the Bill in recent weeks. In the latest article of this series, we focus on Spatial…
Read more12 March 2025
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced into Parliament on 11 March 2025 with a promise to “get Britain building” and “tackle blockers” to the development of new housing and major infrastructure projects. The Bill will have significant implications for local authorities, developers and communities. Sharpe Pritchard’s Planning and Infrastructure team will be delving into…
Read more4 February 2025
The planning reform spotlight has been beaming down on the Nationally Significant Infrastructure (“NSIP”) regime in recent weeks, with a new Government policy paper Streamlining Infrastructure Planning published on 26 January. The Government’s ambition to decide 150 Development Consent Order (“DCO”) applications during this parliament would represent a significant achievement which the working paper acknowledges…
Read more12 December 2024
The first big announcement, in what looks likely to be a busy Christmas of planning reform, has been the publication of a policy paper on modernising planning committees by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Having placed planning reform at the centre of its economic strategy, the Government is no doubt keen to…
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