The Planning System - Series 2

Introducing your Course Presenters

Trevor Ivory

Trevor joined DLA Piper in 2015 to lead its UK planning practice, which advises clients on the consenting of large-scale development and infrastructure projects. He is currently advising on the delivery of the HS2 highspeed rail project linking Birmingham to London and the North of England, the 1.4m sq ft redevelopment of Paradise Circus, Birmingham and the £1bn regeneration of Digbeth, Birmingham. In 2019 he became the Birmingham Managing Partner in which role he is responsible for the management and growth of the firm’s practice in the West Midlands and is a member of the firm’s UK Senior Leadership Team. Trevor qualified as a solicitor in 2002, having read law at the University of East Anglia and studied for the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law. Alongside his legal practice he has served as a local councillor and as a non-executive director of a housing association. He is also a trustee of a local charity.

Tom Alder

Tom is an experienced planning lawyer who deals with a wide range of planning issues, both contentious and non-contentious, on behalf of developer clients, acting on a national basis for a number. Tom’s key focus is the house-building sector (both market and retirement sector), advising in respect of residential or residential led mixed-use schemes. He also has considerable experience in contentious planning work, representing clients in planning appeals and High Court legal challenges. Additionally, Tom is responsible for a niche practice advising ports and marinas in respect of operational agreements and statutory consents.

Gill Eaton

Gill Eaton is an Associate with the award winning planning consultancy Iceni Projects and has over 20 years of town planning & property experience with Central London planning consultancies and planning departments with a wide range of experience across residential, commercial, leisure, heritage and cultural sectors with a particular focus on planning issues relating to heritage assets. Gill’s recent experience in St Albans planning department was also invaluable given the high proportion of cases which related to listed buildings and she often works very closely with heritage colleagues to secure the best outcomes for development projects relating to heritage assets. Recent projects have included York Road, Maidenhead (Countryside), The listed Old Ship Hotel, Brighton (Cairn Group) and whilst in her LPA role the listed Grade II* St Albans Town Hall & Museum Project and the proposals relating to the Grade II* listed Gorhambury House.

Ian Graves

Ian is a specialist planning and environmental lawyer at DLA Piper UK LLP.  He advises clients in the public and private sectors on all aspects of planning law, including infrastructure projects, development proposals of all types, appeals, enforcement and judicial review.  Identified as a ‘name to note’ by The Legal 500 in 2020, Ian’s experience includes advising on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and major regeneration schemes.  Ian’s environmental practice includes advising on environmental impact assessment, contaminated land, environmental permitting and statutory nuisance.  His environmental expertise is recognised by The Legal 500, which noted in 2016 that he “brings impressive experience from his time at the Environment Agency” and acknowledged his ‘expertise in environmental law’ in the 2019 edition.  Ian strives to make complex areas of law accessible to clients and to deliver straightforward, practical advice.  He wins praise for his “thorough and commercial approach”.

Laurie Handcock

Laurie is Director of Iceni’s Built Heritage and Townscape team, and has a decade’s experience of working in the historic and built environment, across the country.  Having cut his teeth on the London Bridge Station redevelopment, and the complex Cold War airfield redevelopment now known as Alconbury Weald, his work now spans a range of different scales and sectors.  He appears regularly as an expert witness for both local authorities and developer clients, and has a particular interest in specifics of law and policy.  He is also, however, passionate about schemes that allow engagement in the design process, working with design teams as critical friend and heritage and design advisor to knit new architecture carefully into sensitive environments.  He is a member of the Hertfordshire Design Review Panel and Watford Place Panel, and has also appeared as a guest panelist on Redbridge’s Design Review Panel; he was also founding Chair of the Crystal Palace Park Trust, which intends to take ownership of an iconic and important South London park.

Nick Ireland

Nick Ireland is a Director within Iceni’s Economics Team. He specialises in providing advice on strategic planning and economic development issues including employment land and economic impact, housing need and five year housing land supply, feasibility studies and sub-regional spatial planning. He acts for both public and private sectors and is a regular expert witness at inquiries and local plan examinations.

Marianne Ironside

Marianne is a planning solicitor who assists and advises developer clients in relation to a broad range of contentious and non-contentious planning issues. Marianne acts for a variety of residential and commercial developers with a particular focus on housebuilders. Marianne also provides advice to ports and marina operators in relation to operational agreements and statutory consents. Recent examples of work include drafting and negotiating S106 Agreements on behalf of developer clients, undertaking planning due diligence in relation to potential development sites, negotiating and advising in respect of highways and infrastructure agreements on behalf of a range of developer clients, providing advice in relation to Community Infrastructure Levy issues, including mitigating CIL liability and advising on the implications of environmental legislation for development projects.

Jamie Sullivan

Jamie Sullivan is a Director within Iceni Project’s Strategic Planning Team. He has over 15 years of experience in both the public and private sector, including a secondment as a Planning Policy Advisory at HM Treasury.  Jamie works on a variety of different schemes, ranging from large strategic greenfield schemes on the edge of new settlements through to complex brownfield developments. He has gained experience across London, the South East and South West, working for a range of clients, including; housebuilders, strategic land promoters, housing associations and constructors.