United Kingdom - Wales • Real estate

Geldards LLP

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‘Equally competent in both Welsh and English planning’ matters, both from an advisory and contentious perspective, the ’very knowledgeable and customer focused’ team at Geldards LLP provides a ‘versatile service’ for public and private sector clients. ’Outstanding’ team head Charles Felgate is ‘a very commercial and astute tactician’, ensuring that he is a popular choice among clients, including local authorities, on their highest-profile mandates, including as it relates to compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) and Section 106 agreements. ’Outstanding’ senior associate Tomos Phillips is ‘a wise head on young shoulders’, providing a very effective advice across a range of matters, including for both local authorities and objectors on CPO mandates, particularly in relation to highway schemes.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team is very knowledgeable and customer focused in their approach. They have very good relations with the authorities in Wales responsible for planning and compulsory purchase and this relationship has given added value to the Council as a client.'  

  • 'The versatile team is deeply committed to work in Wales, and undertakes a substantial volume of planning work for the public sector in addition to their private clients.'

  • ‘The team is able to get to grips with obscure legislative planning queries quickly and effectively and offer support in dealing with complex legal issues with a wide range of skills and specialisms.’

  • ‘Really specialist expertise in a regional setting. Equally competent in both Welsh and English planning and cognate jurisdictions, which is unique.'

  • ‘Charles Felgate provides outstanding support with a capable and meticulous eye for detail.’

  • ‘The outstanding Charles Felgate has a tremendous breadth of knowledge.' 

  • ‘Charles Felgate is a very commercial and astute tactician, has great attention to detail and is good fun to work with, making him an invaluable member of the multi-disciplinary teams that major planning projects and cases involve.' 

  • 'Tomos Phillips has also been outstanding.’

  • 'Tomos Phillips is a very thorough and astute lawyer. He is a wise head on young shoulders. Good experience of the subject matter and great attention to detail.’

Key clients

  • Welsh Ministers
  • South Derbyshire County Council
  • Derby County Council
  • Ribble Valley District Council
  • Torfaen Borough Council
  • Bridgend County Borough Council
  • Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
  • Hygrove Holdings Limited
  • Snowdonia National Park Authority
  • Calderdale County Borough Council

Work highlights

  • Successfully defending Snowdonia National Park Authority in the Supreme Court against an application for declaration that a circa 400 home development within the National Park, approved in 1967 and subject to a declaration that the permission was extant in 1987, was still capable of further implementation.
  • Successfully representing the Welsh Government in the Court of Appeal against an application for a declaration sought in relation to whether development had commenced within the appropriate time limits in the Development Consent Order for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
  • Advising Bridgend County Borough Council in relation to the compulsory purchase of land for a major regeneration of Porthcawl waterfront to provide 1000 new houses, leisure facilities, retail and a new school.

Lawyers

Rising stars

Tomos Phillips

Tomos Phillips

Geldards LLP

Tomos is a member of the Public Law team specialising in planning, environmental, highways and compulsory purchase law. He regularly acts for local authorities, landowners, developers and statutory undertakers on all aspects of planning law and matters concerning development, including drafting and negotiating complex section106 planning obligations and highway adoption agreements. Tomos has significant experience in compulsory purchase and compensation, having successfully acted on numerous schemes for local authorities as well as objectors. He has experience of major planning and compulsory purchase inquiries, judicial review and statutory challenges in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Tomos is experienced in acting for local planning authorities and developers in negotiating complex section 106 agreements relating to major developments. He also advises on all aspects of development control and regularly advises on matters concerning planning committees and appeals. Tomos is very experienced in compulsory purchase law, particularly in relation to highway schemes. He has successfully acted on all stages of the process on numerous schemes, from the preparation of orders through to obtaining confirmation of the orders and their subsequent implementation. He has also acted on statutory challenges and proceedings in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).

Leading individuals

Charles Felgate

Charles Felgate

Geldards LLP

Charles supervises the Planning and Environmental team, which has a significant contentious and non-contentious practice acting for both the private and public sector. The team advise on planning processes and decision making, appeals, judicial reviews, statutory challenges, enforcement and certificate applications and appeals. They also have expertise in compulsory purchase and associated compensation matters, including certificates of appropriate alternative development and references to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). Charles advised Calderdale Borough Council in relation to the land assembly for a number of strategic transport and regeneration projects. He represented the Welsh Government in relation to the M4 Corridor around Newport proposals and in relation to marine planning policy matters and represented Powys County Council at the Mid Wales Conjoined Windfarm Inquiry. Charles advises all three of the Welsh National Park Authorities and he also has a significant section 106 practice, acting for both the private and public sectors. He recently completed a minerals planning appeal on land at Tir Pentwys, Torfaen, a planning appeal in relation to a mixed use scheme at Castlewood Business Park in Nottinghamshire and defended an application for a declaration that an historic planning permission could be implemented at Aberdyfi.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Charles Felgate

Other key lawyers

Tomos Phillips, Gareth Aubrey