Michael Harman

Michael works with owners of land and property assets, as well as public sector authorities, to maximise or defend the value, potential, or utility of clients’ land and property.

As a partner and head of Holmes & Hills’ Compulsory Purchase and Development Consent Division within the firm's well-regarded Planning Law Department, Michael is experienced in working with and advising local planning authorities, developers, planning and property professionals, landowners, property owners, and community interest groups, aimed at furthering and protecting their interest in land and property assets.

Michael provides expert and strategic legal advice and representation regarding complex planning, development consent order, compulsory purchase, and blight matters. Michael advises and represents clients in respect of:

• Planning appeals (including Statutory Challenges and Judicial Reviews in both the High Court and the Court of Appeal)
• Breaches of planning and listed building control and enforcement issues (including Breaches of Condition, Enforcement Notices, Injunctions, and Prosecutions)
• Certificate of Lawfulness (existing and proposed development)
• Permitted Development rights
• Strategic planning matters
• Development Consent Order (DCO) and Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) schemes and blight claims
• Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Regulations

As a specialist planning solicitor, Michael has, for a number of years, contributed to a leading Planning Law publication in the UK - Sweet & Maxwell's 'Planning Law Practice and Precedents’.  Michael is also personally recommended by the Legal 500 – a directory of the UK’s leading law firms and solicitors - for his expertise and experience in Planning Law.

Specialist compulsory purchase and blight claim solicitor

Whilst working in partnership with clients on strategic and contentious Planning Law matters, Michael has particular expertise in regard to Blight claims and Compulsory Purchase Orders and advises property and land owners, as well as business owners, affected by large-scale infrastructure projects.

Work highlights

Michael is considered a specialist blight claim and compulsory purchase order solicitor within the East Anglia region and is a member of the national Compulsory Purchase Association. Whilst based in East Anglia, Michael’s expertise means that he is advising land and property owners across the country in relation to large-scale infrastructure projects. Projects which Michael is currently advising, or has recently advised, clients in relation to include, for example:

• Housing re-development schemes (Woodberry Down and Ponders End Electric Quarter)
• Heathrow Airport expansion
• Road widening schemes (A1(M), A12/A120 and A465)
• Energy/energy infrastructure schemes (Longfield Solar Farm and the emerging East Anglia GREEN high voltage network)

Michael is based at Holmes & Hills Solicitors' regional head office - the A12 Commercial Hub - in Colchester (Marks Tey).