Planning & Environment Law

Cooper Grace Ward's planning and environment team has the capacity and expertise to meet your requirements with experience in the provision of services to a diverse group of companies within the public and private sectors. These include government departments and authorities, local government, property developers, infrastructure providers, resource and manufacturing companies, agribusiness and retail organisations.

We understand the ever increasing complexities surrounding the planning and environment industry. Our planning and environment lawyers work closely with our property and corporate and commercial teams, proactively assisting clients to develop a thorough understanding of the issues and achieve the desired outcome.

Our services in this area include:

• Compliance programs
• Regulatory compliance and enforcement
• Contamination and remediation
• Directors' and officers' liability
• Environmental audits, due diligence and impact assessment
• Heritage and Native Title law
• Land use regulation
• Liquor licensing
• Local government liaison
• Planning and development approvals and appeals
• Property development
• Resource project approvals
• Resumption and compensation
• Pollution and emission licences
• Compulsory acquisition, valuation and compensation
• Policy advice on legislative amendments
• Development agreements and contracts
• Risk assessment and management
• Advice on and preparation of domestic and commercial building contracts
• All associated litigation.

CGW’s Environmental Law team was ranked as one of Queensland’s most recommended in the Australasian Legal Business (ALB) Guide for Environmental Law 2008.

The ALB Guide is a series of detailed insights into specific practice areas, and their leading firms and lawyers. To gain insight into this area, ALB conducted telephone interviews with Australian and New Zealand law firms, companies and barristers. For the purpose of this Guide, the area of environmental law includes traditional areas such as Environmental Impact Assessment, management and advice on pollution and land contamination and general environmental liability, as well as newer areas such as renewable energy, climate change and advice on carbon footprints. 

CGW’s Environmental Law Partner, Kevin Bartlett was also mentioned in the article and was highly regarded by clients as having a “sound legal mind” and commanding a “tight practice”. 

Read our Legal Alerts for the latest information on Planning & Environment law.