Looking For Expert Law Firm & Planning Help In The UK With Proven Expertise?
At Charrette Law Limited, we provide expert legal guidance across a wide range of complex matters, from planning and property development to corporate, commercial, and regulatory affairs.
Planning obligations, notices & orders
Landlord Consents For Alterations
Legal Objections to Development Proposals
Planning applications & Planning Appeals
environmental legal matters, including contaminated land
Procedures, contracts, Rules & standing orders
Planning & Development Law
As a specialist UK law firm, we support clients throughout the entire planning process, whether they are seeking planning permission, responding to planning objections, or appealing planning decisions.
Property Law
As a trusted law firm in the UK, we work with property developers, homeowners, landlords, tenants, and investors to deliver practical legal outcomes.
Environmental Law
Our team assesses the legal implications of land contamination, supports negotiations with regulators, and facilitates remediation strategies that align with planning applications.
Commercial Dispute
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use Charrette Law?
Charrette Law is a legal consultancy business and a limited company. We are not a firm of solicitors.
We provide robust and commercially sensible legal advice to clients based on over 30 years of experience in our specialist areas of law.
How good is your advice?
Whether you need legal advice you can only be 100% certain that the advice will be correct unless you go to an expert.
But we are confident that, by restricting the advice we offer to areas of law where we have over 30 years’ experience, that you can rely on our judgment. This is supported by the fact that our lawyers have several clients who have been with them for many years.
What should I bring to my first meeting with Charrette Law?
It would be helpful to bring any relevant documents related to your legal matter, such as contracts, leases, or relevant correspondence. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns, it would be beneficial to write those down beforehand so that you don’t forget to ask them during your meeting.
How much does it cost?
Most of our work is undertaken on a fixed-fee or project day-rate basis, which is competitive, as we don’t have the overheads of traditional law firms or larger consultancies. We will always try to give you an accurate estimate, at the outset, of how much our advice is going to cost.
Can Charrette Law help me with a Listed Building Consent?
Yes, we have heritage experts and ex-local authority planning officers who have plenty of experience of dealing with consents for works relating to Listed buildings, conservation areas and enforcement notices.
What is a Section 106 Agreement?
This is a legal agreement that a local planning authority will often require before granting planning permission. It contains obligations to pay contributions towards amenities and other planning requirements. Our legal team has negotiated many Section 106 agreements and related Unilateral Undertakings.
Do you deal with development agreements?
Yes, we negotiate development agreements for new residential dwellings or commercial buildings with provisions on gaining planning permission and carrying out the constructions works. We act for both developers and landowners.
Can you help to object to planning applications?
We have a lot of experience in our team of objecting to planning applications and supporting Parish Councils on appeals to try to get development proposals stopped. We have worked successfully on preventing housing schemes and commercial developments by applying intelligent planning policy and legal arguments.
Can you help to stop unauthorised building?
We often help residents to convince local planning authority enforcement departments to take enforcement action against building works or land uses which do not have planning permission or which have exceeded the permissions that have been granted.
How can I deal with a restrictive covenant on land?
Restrictive covenants can be modern or old. It may be possible to get old covenants removed or to get insurance to cover the risk of them being enforced. More modern covenants are more difficult to insure against, but we can help to undertake investigations on the enforceability and assess whether they meet legal test for being enforced.
Can you help with a disputed right of way?
Yes, we have assisted many clients to uphold their rights of way and deal with neighbours who have blocked or obstructed them. Rights of way can be contained in title deeds or acquired by long use. We can help to object to claims for long term rights or advise on acquiring rights and getting them registered at the Land Registry.
How do I claim adverse possession of land?
An application needs to be made to the Land Registry to claim adverse possession of land. There are a number of strict requirements that need to be met and we can assist with assessing your chances of success and in submitting the application form and evidence needed to successfully gain a possessory title of land.
Is it easy to resolve a boundary dispute?
Boundary disputes can be complicated and stressful situations. We can help you navigate the legal situation and your dispute with other parties, as well as work with surveyors who can assess physical evidence of boundaries. We try to resolve disputes by negotiation but sometimes it is necessary to resort to mediation or seek a Court declaration.
Can my landlord refuse consent for alterations I want to make?
If you need consent from a landlord for alterations or other works to your flat, apartment, house or commercial building, the first step is to look at and interpret the clauses in your lease in the light of case law. We can help to do that correctly and to negotiate the documents needed to secure the landlord’s consent.
Who has to pay to clean up contaminated land?
In some circumstances the owner or occupier of the land may have to pay for clean up.
The regulations are complex, but our experts have 30 years’ experience in environmental law and have the expertise to assist with enforcement action or issues of liability in property deals, corporate deals or lease liabilities.
What role does the Environment Agency have?
The EA has a role in enforcing environmental protection law, dealing with flood related issues and issuing environmental permits to business operations. It has suffered from funding and resource issues in recent years but continues to play a major role in a variety of environmental and planning regimes in the UK.
How strict are waste regulations?
Some waste regulations are strict liability offences which means that committing those offences will bring criminal proceedings irrespective of intent. If you think that you or your business might have breached waste laws, you should immediately contact us so that we can assess your options and work on your defence. This might relate to transferring waste, keeping or disposing of it, holding the correct documents, carrying waste, treating it or obligations on recycling of packaging waste.
How important are Environmental Impact Assessments?
EIAs are an important technical assessment of the harm that proposed developments might cause to the natural environment. They are often required as part of the planning application process for major developments that meet certain requirements. If EIA processes are not undertaken properly, a planning permission may be legally challenged by judicial review and can be overturned.
What is the Landfill Tax?
Landfill tax is paid on the disposal of waste material in certain conditions, including authorised landfill sites and other surface operations. There are two rates, a lower and standard rate, depending on the nature of the material. The tax is based on the number of tonnes of waste disposed of. There are often disagreements about how the tax is levied and charged, and we have over twenty years of advising on the operation of the tax.
Is it expensive to issue legal proceedings in Court?
The outcome will take up to a year and will always be uncertain. If you lose you will have to pay a significant amount of the other side’s legal costs and even if you win, you will not recover all of your own legal costs.
Is there a cost-effective way to solve a dispute?
These include negotiation, mediation, arbitration and adjudication. We can help you chose the best way to resolve a dispute in a sensible and cost-effective way.
What information do you need to settle a dispute?
We will need as much information you have, including contracts, deeds, planning permissions, drawings, invoices, correspondence, emails and photographs, depending on the nature of the dispute. The more information you can provide the better we can assess the legal position.
Do you deal with disputes with neighbours?
Yes, we are often asked to help clients with neighbour disputes. These can relate to boundary disputes, rights of way, nuisance, planning applications and land use. The issues can be very emotive, but we are skilled at negotiating good outcomes on a cost- effective basis.
Can you help with landlord and tenant disputes?
Yes, we have negotiated a very large number of commercial and residential leases and tenancies. We understand the interpretation of covenants, obligations and other provisions in leases and can advise you on and negotiate solutions to disagreements between landlords and tenants on any issue.
What happens if I have a complaint?
We ensure our work is conducted to the highest ethical standards and with the best care and skill. If you are not happy with the service provided by us, our senior management team will work diligently to investigate and resolve any complaint.
Why use Charrette Law?
We provide robust and commercially sensible legal advice to clients based on over 30 years of experience in our specialist areas of law.
How good is your advice?
Whether you need legal advice you can only be 100% certain that the advice will be correct unless you go to an expert.
But we are confident that, by restricting the advice we offer to areas of law where we have over 30 years’ experience, that you can rely on our judgment. This is supported by the fact that our lawyers have several clients who have been with them for many years.
What should I bring to my first meeting with Charrette Law?
It would be helpful to bring any relevant documents related to your legal matter, such as contracts, leases, or relevant correspondence. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns, it would be beneficial to write those down beforehand so that you don’t forget to ask them during your meeting.
How much does it cost?
Most of our work is undertaken on a fixed-fee or project day-rate basis, which is competitive, as we don’t have the overheads of traditional law firms or larger consultancies. We will always try to give you an accurate estimate, at the outset, of how much our advice is going to cost.
Can Charrette Law help me with a Listed Building Consent?
Yes, we have heritage experts and ex-local authority planning officers who have plenty of experience of dealing with consents for works relating to Listed buildings, conservation areas and enforcement notices.
What is a Section 106 Agreement?
This is a legal agreement that a local planning authority will often require before granting planning permission. It contains obligations to pay contributions towards amenities and other planning requirements. Our legal team has negotiated many Section 106 agreements and related Unilateral Undertakings.
Do you deal with development agreements?
Yes, we negotiate development agreements for new residential dwellings or commercial buildings with provisions on gaining planning permission and carrying out the constructions works. We act for both developers and landowners.
Can you help to object to planning applications?
We have a lot of experience in our team of objecting to planning applications and supporting Parish Councils on appeals to try to get development proposals stopped. We have worked successfully on preventing housing schemes and commercial developments by applying intelligent planning policy and legal arguments.
Can you help to stop unauthorised building?
We often help residents to convince local planning authority enforcement departments to take enforcement action against building works or land uses which do not have planning permission or which have exceeded the permissions that have been granted.
How can I deal with a restrictive covenant on land?
Restrictive covenants can be modern or old. It may be possible to get old covenants removed or to get insurance to cover the risk of them being enforced. More modern covenants are more difficult to insure against, but we can help to undertake investigations on the enforceability and assess whether they meet legal test for being enforced.
Can you help with a disputed right of way?
Yes, we have assisted many clients to uphold their rights of way and deal with neighbours who have blocked or obstructed them. Rights of way can be contained in title deeds or acquired by long use. We can help to object to claims for long term rights or advise on acquiring rights and getting them registered at the Land Registry.
How do I claim adverse possession of land?
An application needs to be made to the Land Registry to claim adverse possession of land. There are a number of strict requirements that need to be met and we can assist with assessing your chances of success and in submitting the application form and evidence needed to successfully gain a possessory title of land.
Is it easy to resolve a boundary dispute?
Boundary disputes can be complicated and stressful situations. We can help you navigate the legal situation and your dispute with other parties, as well as work with surveyors who can assess physical evidence of boundaries. We try to resolve disputes by negotiation but sometimes it is necessary to resort to mediation or seek a Court declaration.
Can my landlord refuse consent for alterations I want to make?
If you need consent from a landlord for alterations or other works to your flat, apartment, house or commercial building, the first step is to look at and interpret the clauses in your lease in the light of case law. We can help to do that correctly and to negotiate the documents needed to secure the landlord’s consent.
Who has to pay to clean up contaminated land?
If contaminated land causes or creates a risk of sufficient environmental harm, the person who caused or knowingly permitted the contamination will have to pay. In some circumstances the owner or occupier of the land may have to pay for clean up. The regulations are complex, but our experts have 30 years’ experience in environmental law and have the expertise to assist with enforcement action or issues of liability in property deals, corporate deals or lease liabilities.
What role does the Environment Agency have?
The EA has a role in enforcing environmental protection law, dealing with flood related issues and issuing environmental permits to business operations. It has suffered from funding and resource issues in recent years but continues to play a major role in a variety of environmental and planning regimes in the UK.
How strict are waste regulations?
Some waste regulations are strict liability offences which means that committing those offences will bring criminal proceedings irrespective of intent. If you think that you or your business might have breached waste laws, you should immediately contact us so that we can assess your options and work on your defence. This might relate to transferring waste, keeping or disposing of it, holding the correct documents, carrying waste, treating it or obligations on recycling of packaging waste.
How important are Environmental Impact Assessments?
EIAs are an important technical assessment of the harm that proposed developments might cause to the natural environment. They are often required as part of the planning application process for major developments that meet certain requirements. If EIA processes are not undertaken properly, a planning permission may be legally challenged by judicial review and can be overturned.
What is the Landfill Tax?
Landfill tax is paid on the disposal of waste material in certain conditions, including authorised landfill sites and other surface operations. There are two rates, a lower and standard rate, depending on the nature of the material. The tax is based on the number of tonnes of waste disposed of. There are often disagreements about how the tax is levied and charged, and we have over twenty years of advising on the operation of the tax.
Is it expensive to issue legal proceedings in Court?
Yes, the Court process is complex and long. A traditional firm of solicitors will be very expensive because they will have to follow many formal processes, with a team of lawyers working on your case, all charging high hourly rates. The outcome will take up to a year and will always be uncertain. If you lose you will have to pay a significant amount of the other side’s legal costs and even if you win, you will not recover all of your own legal costs.
Is there a cost-effective way to solve a dispute?
It is now very expensive and risky to try to solve disputes by Court proceedings. However there are a number of alternative ways to resolve disputes at much lower costs and these are encouraged by the Courts. These include negotiation, mediation, arbitration and adjudication. We can help you chose the best way to resolve a dispute in a sensible and cost-effective way.
What information do you need to settle a dispute?
We will need as much information you have, including contracts, deeds, planning permissions, drawings, invoices, correspondence, emails and photographs, depending on the nature of the dispute. The more information you can provide the better we can assess the legal position.
Do you deal with disputes with neighbours?
Yes, we are often asked to help clients with neighbour disputes. These can relate to boundary disputes, rights of way, nuisance, planning applications and land use. The issues can be very emotive, but we are skilled at negotiating good outcomes on a cost- effective basis.
Can you help with landlord and tenant disputes?
Yes, we have negotiated a very large number of commercial and residential leases and tenancies. We understand the interpretation of covenants, obligations and other provisions in leases and can advise you on and negotiate solutions to disagreements between landlords and tenants on any issue.
What happens if I have a complaint?
We ensure our work is conducted to the highest ethical standards and with the best care and skill. If you are not happy with the service provided by us, our senior management team will work diligently to investigate and resolve any complaint.