ADVICE

Having retired from legal practice, I no longer offer or purport to give legal advice myself. Although my name remains on the Roll of Solicitors, I no longer have a practising certifcate, and so I am not now in a positon to hold myself out as (or 'pretend' to be be) a solicitor.

Prior to my retirement, I fielded enquiries and passed these on to my colleagues in Keystone Law’s planning law team if I felt that they might be able to help. Following my retirement, I am still willing to forward any requests for advice or help to Keystone Law, but there are a couple of changes. First, I no longer have the time to pre-read enquiries and to advise as to the most suitable source of help. Second, enquiries are only likely to get a response if it is clear that the enquirer is able and willing to pay substantial legal costs for the help they are seeking. You are unlikely to get a response to a request for ‘a preliminary chat’ or for ‘informal’ advice.

SO, BEFORE YOU SEEK LEGAL ADVICE, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTES.

First, is your problem related to a boundary dispute or to actual or threatened interference with your property rights, such as a right of way or other easement, or a breach of a restrictive covenant? If so, the person you need is a property lawyer, not a planning lawyer.

Next, does your problem relate to a Party Wall Act Notice or to access rights for the repair of your or your neighbour’s property? If so, the person you need is a chartered building surveyor, rather than a lawyer. For help in finding a chartered surveyor, visit this website:

https://www.ricsfirms.com/helplines/

A number of enquiries from readers of this blog come from people who are seeking advice on the prospects of obtaining planning permission for a particular development, or for the sort of developments that might be possible on a particular site. In most cases, such questions do not raise any legal issues, but are concerned solely with questions of planning policy and similar considerations. These are matters that lie within the experience and expertise of a planning consultant, rather than a planning lawyer. So it is unlikely that a planning lawyer’s professional involvement in answering this sort of question would prove to be cost effective from your point of view.

I would recommend that, in cases of that type, readers should engage the services of a chartered town planner who is familiar with planning policies in the area and has had experience in dealing with the local planning authority, so that they can advise you as to the prospects of obtaining planning permission for the development you have in mind, and (if they so advise) help you to present a scheme that might be acceptable to the local planning authority and submit a planning application on your behalf and steer you through the planning procedures.

If you don't know a planning consultant whom you could employ, this website may help you to find one:

https://www.rtpiconsultants.co.uk/#/

If legal services might be of assistance at a later stage, Keystone Law may well be able to offer their professional assistance, but the type of work that needs to be carried out in the early stages is likely to be more suited to other planning professionals.

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So, having checked out the points outlined above, if you are sure that what you need is legal advice on a specific planning matter, then you can email the address below with details of your requirement for legal help on the matter, and I will pass this on to my colleagues in Keystone Law’s planning law team. I must, however, make it clear that I cannot guarantee a reply, and I am not in a position to ‘chase up’ enquiries.

The email address to which to send your request for legal services is:


MHG.planning@outlook.com


[Please note that emails to my old email address at Keystone Law will simply bounce back. The only way of contacting me with potential instructions for legal help or advice, which I can then pass on to my former colleagues in Keystone Law's planning law team, is by emailing me at the email address shown above.]

I am sorry for any inconveneince that the non-availability of my old Keystone Law email address may cause in preventing direct access to Keystone Law's planning law team through my old email address, but this is outside my control.

I hope this note is helpful in pointing you in the right direction to obtain the professional help and advice that you need.

MARTIN GOODALL