Anna is an experienced planning law specialist who advises on a broad range of planning matters. Her sector focus includes residential development, strategic land, build to rent, energy and infrastructure. She regularly negotiates complex planning and infrastructure agreements and has a wealth of experience in planning inquiries and judicial review proceedings.
An area of real enthusiasm for Anna is energy and infrastructure (including nationally significant infrastructure projects). Anna has led many clients through the consenting process for such projects and has acted for both acquiring authorities and landowners in relation to compulsory purchase, with extensive experience of dealing with cases being heard at the Upper Tribunal (Land Chamber).
Anna is also heavily involved in sustainability, advising on matters relating to planning reform and the journey to net zero and how this impacts upon all stakeholders in the development process. She also helps clients engage with new regulatory frameworks and deal with the legal implications of changes in corporate strategies and business models.
"Excellent on compulsory purchase matters” and the negotiation and completion of planning obligations and infrastructure agreements
Anna Fouracre was absolutely excellent and delivered a great result.
I have worked with Anna on several projects and have found her to be extremely diligent with sound legal and commercial advice and always responding in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to recommend her to others.
Managing Director at one of the UK’s largest privately owned investment companies
Expertise
- Judicial review and other Planning Court litigation
- Planning applications and appeals
- Compulsory purchase orders
- Certificates of lawful development
- Interpretation of planning conditions and consents
- Specialist ‘GPDO’ advice (permitted development)
- Planning enforcement
- Planning and infrastructure agreements
- Listed buildings and heritage assets
Experience
Housing and commercial developments
- Advised on numerous housing applications and appeals for PLC housebuilders and developers including advising a consortium of three major housebuilders on their planning application to build over 700 homes on an old hospital site, with numerous parts of the property having listed status.
- Apportionment of liability agreements – negotiating agreements between landowners and buyers and sellers apportioning responsibilities and liabilities under planning consents and planning obligations, including agreements for major housebuilders.
- Legal audits of planning application/EIA – reviewed planning applications and environmental statements for housebuilders and developers, including in relation to conjoined developments and developments in the greenbelt.
- Obtained lawful development certificates – assisted developers to obtain lawful development certificates for existing or proposed uses, including in relation to two central London sites for a major food retailer.
- Advised on mixed-use and commercial developments – consenting process and planning appeals.
- Negotiated section 106 and section 278/38 agreements, including schemes requiring Mayor of London approval.
- Due diligence for housing and commercial sales and purchases – conducted due diligence for housebuilders and commercial developers in relation to sales and purchases, including sites located in areas of archaeological importance and large mixed-use, phased schemes.
- Advised a build to rent developer on their first shared ownership portfolio acquisition including complex advice around affordable recycling obligations and negotiating deeds of variations to section 106 agreements to vary the affordable provisions to ensure the purchaser could comply with the s106 obligations.
- Advised in relation regeneration of town centres including acting for Swindon Council on their £33 million town regeneration scheme.
Strategic Land
- Planning applications and appeals for numerous strategic land promoters.
- Promotion agreements – negotiated promotion agreements for strategic land promoters and master developers across the regions in relation to complex sites with planning consenting processes of up to 5 years.
Build to Rent
- Advised on the acquisition and consenting process for numerous bespoke build to rent developers and operators – including a groundbreaking gateway into city a mixed-use scheme that incorporated build to rent homes and new grade A offices and also an innovative build to rent scheme in Hackney with affordable workspace, retail units and rooftop running track – with the scheme requiring approval by the Mayor of London.
- Planning agreements – negotiated the following agreements for build to rent developers and operators – section 106 planning agreements, section 278/38 highways agreements, s177 overhanging licences, section 104 drainage agreements.
- Legal audit of planning applications/EIA – conducted legal audits of planning applications and environmental statements for a number of build to rent developers, to minimise risk of legal challenge.
- Delivered a number of talks and hosted roundtables including UKAA build to rent roundtable in 2021.
Logistics
- Planning applications and appeals for numerous logistics providers, including over a period of ten years in relation to an 11 million square feet logistics park.
Retirement Living
- Advised on numerous sales and purchases of care homes, assisted living developments and extra care housing.
- Specialised advice in relation to planning use classes for retirement living.
- Negotiated affordable housing position in relation to extra care developments.
- Conducted legal audits of planning applications for care home developments.
- Negotiated planning agreements required in relation to care home developments.
Student Accommodation
- Advised in relation to the sale and purchase of numerous student accommodation developments, including over a period of ten years for a student accommodation provider with 12 sites.
- Advised in relation to Assets of Community Value on a site where student accommodation was being proposed.
Enforcement
- Advised developers and landowners in relation to planning enforcement notices.
- Advised in relation to enforcement notice appeals.
Specialist “GPDO” Advice and Planning Use Classes
- Demolition under “GPDO” Part 11.
- Offices: Planning appeals for ‘office to residential’ change of use schemes in a number of London boroughs for developer clients.
- Scope of permitted development rights, including in relation to the scope of Part 4 “temporary buildings and use” for an events organiser and in relation to Part 14 “Renewable Energy” for a solar developer.
Energy
- Advised on consenting process for renewable energy projects including wind, solar, battery storage.
- Advised on commercial-scale solar developments for a number of solar developers, including advising a client on their first five UK solar project acquisitions.
- Planning appeals for developers (wind and solar), including two planning appeals (wind) for one of leading suppliers of renewable energy worldwide.
- Legal audit of planning applications / EIA for both solar and wind developer clients.
- Advised in relation to renewable energy proposals in the greenbelt – advised developer clients in relation to site selection and planning strategy in relation to solar projects in the greenbelt, with reference to case law and recently decided planning appeals and identifying market trends.
Compulsory Purchase
- Advised landowners on compensation issues when facing compulsory acquisition for HS2.
- Advised in relation to case heard in Upper Tribunal Lands Chambers, determining a dispute relating to HS2.
- Advised one of the UK’s largest privately owned investment companies in relation to compulsory purchase of land by Highways England at one of their hotels.
Sustainability
- Advised on planning reform and the journey to net zero and how this impacts upon stakeholders in the development process.
- Helped clients engage with new regulatory frameworks and dealt with the legal implications of changes in corporate strategies and business models.
- Speaker at UKAA’s 2021 Sustainability Summit.
- Organiser and host of series of ESG, sustainability and responsible business webinars.
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- Advised a landowner in relation to the conversion of agricultural buildings to residential, in Kent. Advised on planning strategy and subsequently the prior approval application and supporting evidence to satisfy the legal tests set out in Class Q of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended.
- Advised the owner of a Grade 1 listed country estate in Wokingham in relation to the development of outbuildings for residential use.
- Advised a strategic land promoter in relation to a number of sites that they were promoting, including advising on planning strategy for securing planning on a number of pieces of agricultural land for housing development across the regions and managing a number of planning appeals.
- Advised a client in relation to compliance and enforcement matters relating to a neighbouring turkey farm.
- Advised a major logistics developer in relation to securing planning for storage and distribution buildings and ancillary offices, which involved farm land and the demolition of a listed farmhouse.
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 500 2020-2024 for Planning
Legal 500 2020: “Next Generation Partner”
Career
Anna qualified as a solicitor in 2011. Prior to joining Keystone in 2023, she worked at the following firms:
- Osborne Clarke
- Eversheds