Solicitors
Planning Consultants and Solicitors Collaborative Expertise for Stronger Outcomes
At Impact Planning, we recognise that many planning cases require both planning consultancy expertise and specialist legal advice. By working closely with solicitors, we ensure that our clients receive a complete service that addresses both the technical and legal aspects of the planning system.
How Planning Consultants and Solicitors Work Together
Planning issues often overlap with legal considerations. Our role as planning consultants is to provide technical evidence, policy interpretation, and professional planning judgement, while solicitors focus on the legal framework and case law. Together, this collaboration provides clients with robust, well-rounded support.
Typical areas of collaboration include:
- Planning applications and appeals – Combining planning expertise with legal representation where complex cases arise.
- Planning inquiries and hearings – Supporting solicitors with technical planning evidence and expert witness services.
- Judicial reviews – Advising solicitors on planning policy and procedure to strengthen legal challenges or defences.
- Enforcement cases – Working alongside solicitors to assess the planning context of alleged breaches.
- Section 106 agreements – Supporting negotiations on planning obligations in collaboration with legal advisors .
Benefits for Clients
When planning consultants and solicitors work together, clients benefit from a complete, joined-up approach:
- Comprehensive advice – Covering both planning policy and planning law.
- Stronger cases – Applications, appeals, and inquiries are backed by both technical and legal expertise.
- Reduced risks – Issues are identified early, minimising the chance of costly disputes or refusals.
FAQ
For straightforward planning applications, a town planner is usually enough to guide your project through local council approval. However, if you face a planning refusal, land dispute, or legal agreement with the council (such as a Section 106), a solicitor specialising in planning law may be required. In these cases, your solicitor works alongside your town planner to provide both the technical and legal support needed to move your project forward.
A solicitor provides the legal framework to back up the recommendations of a town planner. For example, when a town planner prepares a planning application for a new development in Wiltshire or Gloucestershire, a solicitor may review contracts, check land ownership rights, or deal with restrictive covenants that could affect the project. If the application is challenged, or if an appeal is needed, the solicitor ensures the case is legally sound while the planner supplies the technical planning evidence.
Together, they give clients a complete service — the planner handles compliance with local policies, while the solicitor safeguards the legal position, reducing risk and saving time.