Pinsent Masons makes further significant investment in its market leading Planning and Consenting Team

In March the firm hired Planning and Compulsory Purchase Partner, Lucy Thomas, from Ashurst which followed the recruitment of Strategic Planning Adviser, Dr Sue Chadwick from Birketts in January. 

This month Pinsent Masons welcomed London-based Senior associate Tom Rowberry and associate Emily Ludlow-Eyre who both also joined from Ashurst.

The London team was also joined in March by energy consenting specialist Amy Stirling (from Shepherd and Wedderburn) and Solicitor Olivia Henshall (from BCLP). George Wilson re-joined the team in April, having spent a year working as a member of TfL's in-house legal department.

In Edinburgh, planning Associate James Gibson has joined the team from Herbert Smith Freehills to work nationally on large scale energy and infrastructure mandates.

This year's promotion round has also seen considerable investment in the team with  Jamie Lockerbie promoted to Partner and Clare Mirfin and Duncan O'Connor to Legal Director (all in London) and energy property specialist Satwinder Ubhi to Legal Director in Birmingham.

Pinsent Masons says the recruitment drive is a response to considerable market demand driven by the UK's need to expand and modernise its transport infrastructure and domestic energy production and transmission infrastructure.

Head of the UK Planning and Environment (including Energy, Infrastructure & Property) practice, Iain Gilbey, said: "The team will continue to work on long-term project mandates where activity levels will increase over the next 12 months. We are also seeing significant new instructions from the private and public sectors in large scale housing delivery, and land assembly projects - a number of which will be facilitated through compulsory purchase.

"The firm has taken a strategic decision to continue to invest in our market leading planning team, reflecting a growing demand for our advice  in steering complex energy, infrastructure and real estate projects through planning and consenting processes."

Pinsent Masons has advised on a number of high profile planning mandates in recent months. In February the firm enabled Forth Ports Group to secure a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Port of Tilbury to build a new £200 million terminal. Pinsent Masons' advice supported Norfolk County Council in submitting its development consent application for the proposed Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing to the Planning Inspectorate in April.  The firm also continues to advise on the planning aspects of the proposed A303 Stonehenge Tunnel and the Heathrow Expansion (third runway) programme.