Martin is a specialist planning lawyer with more than 30 years’ continuous experience in this area of the law. He is a member of the Law Society’s Planning Panel and a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Martin has had considerable success as an advocate at public inquiries, often in major cases in which counsel might otherwise have been briefed. He deals with all aspects of planning work, including, advising and negotiating on all types of development proposals and in taking planning applications and appeals through all their stages, as well as negotiating and drafting Planning Obligations.
Expertise
- Advocacy at all types of public inquiry on behalf of appellants, local authorities and objectors, and also appearances at other appeal hearings
- High Court challenges to planning appeal decisions and the judicial review of other actions and decisions by local planning authorities, the Department for Communities and Local Government (in England) and the Welsh Assembly Government (in Wales) and other public bodies and authorities
- Advising by written legal opinion or in conference on points of difficulty in relation to all kinds of planning issues
- Negotiating with local planning authorities over legal and other planning issues, and putting forward formal representations on behalf of applicants and/or third parties both for and against development proposals
- Drafting and negotiation of planning and highways agreements
- Martin has practical experience of various specialist areas, including Advertisement Control, Listed Buildings and Conservation issues, Archaeological problems, Aerodromes and development associated with aviation, Lawful Development Certificates and Enforcement, problems associated with the implementation of planning permissions, Conditions (including Breach of Condition Notices), Planning and Highways Agreements and many other detailed technical matters. His work covers all types of domestic and business planning problems, including those affecting catering uses, hotels, rented property and houses in multiple occupation, as well as shops, offices and leisure facilities, agricultural enterprises and other rural industries.
- Martin is also a popular writer and lecturer on planning law topics.
Recognition
Martin was recommended in the Legal 500 2014 for Planning
Career
Martin qualified as a solicitor in 1977. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2009, he worked at the following firms:
- Clarke Willmott
- Downs