Minerals Experience
Coal Bed Methane Extraction
Acting for a number of landowners and granting licences to an operator to investigate the presence of coal bed methane for potential future extraction.
Royalty Payments
Advising a mineral operator in a dispute with its landlord in respect of the correct interpretation of royalty payments in its lease.
Pre-development Planning Conditions
Advising a limestone operator on the interpretation of its planning permission pre-development conditions.
Minerals Dispute
Acting for a landowner on a dispute with its mineral operator tenant in respect of forfeiture of the lease for non-working, trespass for exceeding the permitted quantity of imported materials and a review of the royalty rate.
Minerals Allocation Policy
Advising a south coast based minerals operator on the local council's emerging core strategies and local mineral plan, including making representations on those DPDs.
Advising a leading minerals trade association on their consultation response to a proposed modification to the minerals allocation policy in a Regional Plan.
Special Areas of Conservation Designation
Separately advising a sand and gravel operator and a peat extraction operator on their compensation rights following SAC designation.
Public Inquiries
Advising a South Wales aggregates operator on the delay in decision making and making representations on post inquiry issues following a called-in planning appeal for an extension to quarry.
Representing a sand and gravel operator at two called-in public inquiries and successfully challenging an appeal decision in the High Court.
Salt Caverns for Gas Storage
Advising a gas storage operator on their application to solution mine salt to form salt caverns for the storage of gas.
Advising a gas storage operator on compulsory purchase rights for pipelines.
Underground Gas Storage
Negotiating an option for a gas storage operator to establish and operate an underground gas storage reservoir.
Advising on compensation matters flowing from acquisition by a statutory undertaker for land rights associated with underground gas storage.
Certificates of Lawfulness for quarries
Advising two operators on their applications for certificates of lawfulness to regularise their right to import aggregates to process at their quarries, when that importation is not provided for in their permissions.
Compensation under the mining code
Advising operators on their compensation rights under the mining code due to the presence of statutory undertaker's apparatus.
Minerals Leases
Acting in relation to leases of ball clay, including advising on royalty rents and restoration provisions.
ROMP (Review of Old Mineral Permissions)
Advising clients on the implications of ROMP reviews, including on the interaction between ROMP reviews and reservations under the Habitats Directive, on the sufficiency of Environmental Statements issued in support of ROMP reviews, and on the implications for ROMP where the MPA has failed to take the necessary procedural steps.