Holmes & Hills

Planning Law Department

Michael Harman is a Partner in Holmes & Hills Planning Law Department and head of the Compulsory Purchase and Development Consent Division therein.

Michael is an expert in providing strategic, contentious Planning Law advice covering a variation of planning obligations, planning appeals and challenges of planning permission by way of Judicial Review. Whilst an expert in advising and representing clients on all strategic and contentious Planning Law matters, Michael is also a specialist compulsory purchase solicitor and has particular specialist expertise in regard to blight claims, Compulsory Purchase Orders and Development Consent Orders and advises property and landowners, business owners and local authorities affected by large scale infrastructure projects.

Michael has been a Partner at Holmes & Hills since May 2018, he joined the firm in 2013 having trained and practiced at two regional law firms previously. Moreover, Michael has spearheaded the introduction of the new Compulsory Purchase and Development Consent Division at Holmes & Hills Solicitors.

Michael is a member of the Compulsory Purchase Association and, by request to Michael personally from the editors, he contributes to the leading Planning Law publication, Sweet & Maxwell's 'Planning Law Practice and Precedents’. Michael has been contributing to the publication since 2015.

Alongside, Steven Hopkins, Michael leads the firm’s annual Planning Law Updates which have been run for over 15 years and which attract over 300 bookings from regional planning, land, and property professionals.