Infrastructure & Energy

The Property Advisors team assists clients with the acquisition of land for energy and infrastructure uses and are experienced at negotiating Option Agreements. By working with our planning colleagues, we help deliver the acquisition of land with implementable consent for conventional and renewable energy uses and infrastructure projects.

We have one of the UK’s largest property expert witness team, working with lawyers and solicitors to provide expert witness services. Our team are highly-trained professionals whose experience, expertise and training allow us to provide a practical approach that helps to minimise legal costs through protracted litigation.

The Business Rates team help clients to mitigate business rate liabilities arise throughout the property lifecycle. Prior to occupation, there may be opportunities to take advantage of empty property exemptions and negotiate the effective dates for any rate liability to commence. Where construction activity is involved in providing a new facility it may be possible to remove any empty rate liability completely or substantially reduce liability for many months or even years.

During the operational phase of a project the team review when there is reconfiguration or expansion major overhaul works to look at the possibility of reducing the liability for business rates. At the end of the project’s life the empty property’s rate liability will need to be carefully managed. We develop different strategies dependent on any demolition or redevelopment plans and any lead in times to works commencing. We help with exemptions in excess of the statutory minimums are often achievable as are exemptions to reflect the phased vacation of projects.

We provide annual budget liability forecast for existing properties and provide budget advice for any proposed new projects that you may be considering taking. We check and authorise rate demands, reducing your internal administration burden. We also offer advice on Business Rate Audits which review historic liability issues and often yield significant savings. To ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of information supplied, we also complete Valuation Officer requests for information on our clients’ behalf.

DWD has extensive experience in planning and consenting for large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. This includes securing consents under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Electricity Act 1989 to the current Development Consent Order (DCO) regime for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) introduced by the Planning Act 2008. We have acted on numerous NSIPs since the inception of the Planning Act 2008. We are often instructed at the very start of the process, assisting clients in structuring their teams to successfully deliver DCOs, using our experience across a wide range of different projects, and continue to advise throughout the preparation and submission of the application to its examination. This ranges from advice on policy, consultation, programme and process to internal governance. We can act with a wider team to deliver documents for consultation and can prepare the planning documents which typically accompany DCOs including the Planning Statement, Design and Access Statement, and Consultation Report, as well as providing input to the drafting of the DCO itself. We frequently support clients during the examination, including at the hearings. The move to Net Zero has also seen a significant rise in the number of low carbon and renewable energy projects we have been involved in across the country. To date we have provided planning and consenting support on over 60 solar and battery energy storage projects including DCO solar developments such as Mallard Pass in Lincolnshire and major industrial decarbonisation projects such as Net Zero Teesside and H2Teesside. We have also acted in relation to significant aviation projects from advising on large scale airport development to land-side warehousing and commercial developments.