Leading regional heavyweight law firm, Howes Percival, has appointed Chris May as Planning Partner and Head of the firm’s Leicester planning team.
In this newly created role, Chris will be responsible for further developing and growing Howes Percival’s planning law offering in Leicester and the East Midlands. He was previously Legal Director at Marrons Shakespeare, the legal planning team of Shakespeare Martineau.
As an experienced planning lawyer, Chris has expertise in a wide range of work. He has provided strategic support on major development projects in Leicester and beyond for a range of developers, from national housebuilders to specialised student accommodation providers and landowners, including legal audits of planning applications, drafting and negotiating complex S106 Agreements and supporting clients through the appeal process.
Chris has extensive experience in the coordination of all types of development proposals at both application and appeal stage, including heavily constrained sites. He also advises on Compulsory Purchase Orders, CIL Charging Schedules, enforcement matters and Environmental Impact Assessment development and appears on behalf of clients at Public Examinations and Hearings. He is a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Paul Wootton, Partner and Head of Planning at Howes Percival commented, “The commercial property sector is a core market for Howes Percival and central to the firm’s strategy going forward. As a team we have a national reputation for our work with developers, landowners and local authorities, so I’m delighted to welcome Chris to the firm and excited to be expanding our planning capability in Leicester where we believe there is huge potential.
“We have an excellent property development team in Leicester, headed by Nick James, and the appointment of a dedicated Planning Partner will put us in a really strong position to further grow and expand our practice in the city and beyond. Chris brings extensive experience in all aspects of planning law which will build significantly on our client relationships. As a result of Chris’ appointment, we now have specialist Planning Partners in our Cambridge, Leicester and Norwich offices - enabling us to support clients across the East Midlands and into East Anglia.”
Howes Percival’s property experts act for major retailers, construction companies, farmers and landowners, housing associations, developers and public authorities as well as private individuals and businesses and cover everything from land promotion and planning through to plot sales and dispute resolution.
The firm’s comprehensive commercial property service covers planning and environmental law, minerals and waste, compulsory purchase, village greens, development including strategic land acquisitions, the management of real estate portfolios, property finance, leases and other landlord and tenant matters, property litigation and construction contracts and disputes.
Howes Percival was a finalist in the Regional Law Firm of the Year 2016 category in the highly prestigious The Lawyer Awards.
