Our Planning Government Infrastructure and Environment group is recognised for our strategic and tactical advice and representation in relation to development issues for a range of clients, including development corporations and governments.
 
We are experts in the planning and development of major retail, commercial, educational, residential and tourism projects and industrial resource projects.
 
Our group has expertise and experience in the following planning and development-related matters:

  • administrative law matters
  • compulsory acquisition and compensation
  • development approvals, consents and licences
  • development assessment and management
  • development contributions and charging
  • development litigation, mediation and dispute resolution
  • due diligence investigations
  • easements
  • heritage law matters
  • liquor licensing
  • major projects
  • planning agreements, development agreements and works in kind agreements
  • planning and development instruments
  • planning and development legislation and policy
  • project assessment and management
  • rezoning of land

Planning and development for development corporations

Our group has been responsible for the following major planning and development projects:

  • Pacific Pines master planned community (3,000 lots), including town centre at Helensvale, Gold Coast, Queensland
  • Varsity Lakes master planned community (3,000 lots), including Varsity Central at Bond University on the Gold Coast, Queensland
  • East Quarter residential development project (900 apartments) at Hurstville in Sydney, New South Wales
  • UTS Ku-ring-gai campus redevelopment in Sydney, New South Wales
  • Shepherds Bay Precinct, Meadowbank, New South Wales, comprising ten residential towers, retail space and 2,000+ apartments

Planning and development for governments 

Our group has been responsible for the following major planning and development projects:

  • preparation and review of planning schemes, planning scheme policies and other local planning instruments for local governments
  • preparation of structure plans for the Caloundra South (12,000 lots), Palmview (8,000 dwellings) and Maroochydore Principal Regional Activity Centre (4,000 dwellings) master planned areas
  • preparation of planning agreements, development agreements and infrastructure agreements for projects including Kawana Waters (25,000 persons)

We have designed innovative policy and legal solutions for projects which have enabled our clients to win a number of awards, including:

  • Planning Institute of Australia Award in the "Hard Won Victory" category, for the preparation of three complex structure plans within 12 months
  • Planning Institute of Australia Award for Excellence, for the preparation of a strategic planning vision of a local government area
  • Planning Institute of Australia Award for Industrial Planning, the Economic Development Australian Award for Economic Environmental Innovation, the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (Qld) Award and the Civil Contractors Federation (Qld) Earth Award, for the development of the SouthWest 1 Enterprise Park in Logan

Planning dispute resolution

Our group has represented a range of clients including development corporations and governments in planning and development disputes in superior courts, specialist courts and tribunals, including the Federal Court of Australia, NSW Land and Environment Court, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Queensland Planning and Environment Court.
 
We are strategic and tactical experts in designing legal and policy solutions to resolve planning and development disputes. Our teams are regularly engaged by development corporations to resolve complex planning and development disputes and by governments to prepare policy and legal instruments to avoid such disputes.
 
Our group has helped to resolve planning and development disputes involving many major projects:

  • agriculture developments
  • commercial and industrial developments
  • community infrastructure
  • high rise residential and mixed-used development projects
  • major school and university redevelopment projects
  • master planned residential communities
  • mineral unloading facilities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  • mines and extractive industries
  • riparian corridors, land release and waste water facilities in growth centres
  • shopping centres and retail complexes
  • waste management facilities 
     

 

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