Environment

Our Environment Team has been involved in a number of high-profile cases in this area. Highlights include:

• advising a farming business in respect of an investigation brought by the Environmental Agency of an alleged pollution incident. We successfully negotiated the terms of an Enforcement Undertaking as an alternative to prosecution
• advising a leading UK battery manufacturer regarding compliance with the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 and their related obligations
• advising an international chemical group on an intended prosecution by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for two alleged incidents of allowing poisonous trade effluent to contaminate a river. We persuaded NRW to withdraw the summons and negotiated an Enforcement Undertaking
• providing advice regarding a planning application for the retention of a development comprising an explosive storage and processing centre within an area with a high risk of flooding
• carrying out due diligence in the purchase of land with complex historical, wildlife and ecological obligations. This included advising on any potential development limitations for a proposed hotel
• advising a long leaseholder in securing planning permission for the proposed demolition of buildings, which included an Environmental Impact Assessment screening opinion

• abatement notice appeals and statutory nuisance
• civil Sanctions regime
• conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations
• contaminated ;and regime
• defending/mitigating environmental prosecutions including controlled waste, pollution and waste packaging
• enforcement undertakings
• environmental due diligence
• environmental advice on liabilities
• environmental impact assessment
• environmental permitting regulations
• environmentally-sensitive sales and purchases