Will Thomas
Partner
Nottingham
will.thomas@brownejacobson.com
+44 (0)330 045 1361
Will specialises in planning and compulsory purchase law. He acts for public and private sector organisations, including land promoters, developers, investors, landowners, local planning authorities and government bodies.
He is recognised in both the Legal 500 and Chambers as an expert in planning law and enjoys steering clients through the complicated planning system with clear and commercial advice.
Will has over 10 years’ experience advising on a range of planning matters, including complex s106 agreements, planning appeals, planning land use advice and due diligence, biodiversity net gain requirements, High Court challenges, development consent orders and compulsory purchase orders.
Will’s experience includes advising on the full spectrum of land types and schemes; namely, strategic land, immediate development and regeneration projects. He is particularly adept at dealing with complex s106 agreements at the strategic land stage, as well as overseeing land assembly and compulsory purchase elements of brown-field regeneration schemes.
Will has been quoted several times in Planning magazine, Property Week and Estates Gazette. He also works closely with the RTPI and splits his time across the Nottingham and Birmingham offices.
Recent experience
Advising consortium on response to nationally significant infrastructure project
Will advised a consortium of landowners and promoter on their response to an application for a nationally significant infrastructure project on neighbouring land.
Will coordinated the consortium’s written representations to the project and attended several public hearings on the consortium’s behalf to ensure their position was clearly articulated to the Secretary of State.
3000 homes urban extension
Will acted for a land promoter in respect of securing outline planning permission for a 3000-dwelling scheme in the West Midlands. Will led the negotiation and completion of the section 106 agreement.
Regeneration of London housing estate
Will recently advised a local authority on the regeneration of a large housing estate, which will involve replacing c.800 aging properties with 2500 new ones.
Will was involved in the compulsory purchase process, guiding the making confirmation and implementation of a compulsory purchase order to secure the first phase of the development.
Testimonials
"Will is brilliant for dealing with Section 106 agreements. We are delighted with the service."
"Will Thomas is a pleasure to deal with. He has a calm confidence about him, and his advice is clear and commercial. I have recommended him to clients and will continue to do so."
"Will has an incredible level of intelligence, experience and knowledge of an area that is actually quite difficult to deal with. It's really impressive."