Our top-ranked team advise on all aspects of planning throughout England, Wales and Scotland.

Whether it’s a complex city centre site or a large tract of rural land, clients rely on our expertise and detailed technical knowledge to help successfully navigate their way through what has become a highly complex process. With a team of dedicated planning lawyers, comprising five partners and six other lawyers, we are at the forefront of strategic development and are regularly appointed to give specialist advice on a wide range of planning issues including:

  • planning hearings and public inquiries;
  • strategic planning advice;
  • judicial review;
  • planning permissions and agreements; and
  • compulsory purchase and compensation.

Our service

We partner with clients on all aspects of their transactions, helping them to navigate highly technical issues to deliver commercially sound solutions in line with agreed strategies...

Our approach to service delivery is what sets us apart. In every project we focus exclusively on our clients’ needs and key objectives, helping them to anticipate problems and identify solutions to ensure smooth delivery of multi-faceted complex projects.

Our clients

We are a practice with unparalleled expertise in large-scale energy projects across the UK. We have advised on a number of section 36 applications in Scotland and DCO applications in England and Wales and we have a high success rate of winning planning inquiries for consenting onshore wind to the offshore market.

We are also widely viewed as the ‘go-to’ firm for planning advice on strategic residential developments, representing Taylor Wimpey, Miller Homes, Barratt, David Wilson Homes, Mactaggart and Mickel and Gladman Developments.

Our retail experience is also second to none: we advise British Land and Sainsbury’s on all of their Scottish projects.  We have also advised John Lewis & Partners in relation to Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, and City of Edinburgh Council on the redevelopment of St James Centre (St James Quarter) in Edinburgh.

  • They're excellent – without fault.

  • Shepherd and Wedderburn‘s market-leading reputation is underscored by its portfolio of high-end work, with particular strengths in industries such as energy, residential development and retail.

  • They have a very good depth of resources and cross-function capability.

  • They are practical and pragmatic. They never lack for service and there's a lot of strength and depth there.

  • Shepherd and Wedderburn have an enviable reputation across Scotland for a broad range of planning expertise, and are considered industry-leading experts in housebuilding and energy planning matters.

  • They go the extra mile in terms of commitment.

  • Always at the cutting edge of changes within the Scottish planning system. 
Meet the team

Experience

DF Concerts
Advised in respect of its judicial review of Glasgow City Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a housing development adjacent to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.
Coul Links Limited
Supporting the construction of an 18-hole golf course near Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands within 800 acres of coastal land.
Get Living Group (Glasgow Ltd)
Advised on the proposed ‘build to rent’ and student accommodation scheme at High Street, Glasgow, comprising over 700 units.
The Royal High School Preservation Trust
Advised the Trust throughout the planning process to secure planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Royal High School in Edinburgh to create a new campus for St Mary’s Music School.
Moda Living
Advised Moda in securing planning permission (summer of 2018) for a ‘build to rent’ development in Glasgow City Centre.
Innogy Renewables UK Ltd
Advised on the implementation of planning permission for Glen Kyllachy Wind Farm.
Moray Offshore Windfarm (East and West) Ltd
Continuing to act as sole legal advisers on the planning, environment and property aspects of EDP Renewables’ offshore wind developments in the Moray Firth – Moray East and Moray West.
Cosmopolitan Hotels Ltd
Advised in an appeal against Renfrewshire Council’s refusal of an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness. The appeal, including an award of expenses, was successful.