Member Article

Peter Village QC joins Commercial Estates Group

Peter Village QC has joined the 66-strong team of Commercial Estates Group (CEG) as in-house counsel, advising on strategic planning issues.

Peter joins on a part time basis to enable him to continue in private practice at 39 Essex Chambers. With more than 30 years of experience, specialising in planning and environmental law, Peter has worked with CEG for almost 15 years through his private practice and was instrumental in securing planning permission on a number of CEG’s sites including a 4,500 home sustainable urban extension at Thurmaston, Leicester, a unique beach development at Carlyon Bay in Cornwall and Mickleover in Derby. He has also undertaken many other aspects of litigation on behalf of CEG including Village Green, footpath diversions and judicial reviews.

Peter Village QC has been a planning and environmental law litigator since he started at the bar. He was recognised by Chambers and Partners as their ‘Planning & Environment Silk of the Year’ in 2012. He is especially noted for having successfully challenged the revocation of Regional Strategies – the CALA litigation – and he specialises in compulsory purchase, having promoted the Bull Ring CPO, and successfully objected to two CPOs in 2015.

Peter said: “CEG is an outstanding developer and I am delighted to have joined their team, with whom I have been working for more than 15 years and have the highest regard. I will also be continuing in private practice at 39 Essex Chambers.”

In recent years, CEG has successfully secured planning permission for more than 15,000 new homes and 1.3million sq ft of new business development and is currently promoting land for a further 45,000 homes and 1 million sq ft of commercial space across the UK.

A specialist in identifying and promoting residential, commercial, leisure, mixed-use and retail development, CEG’s projects include town centre redevelopments, urban extensions, new settlements, garden suburbs, tall buildings, brownfield regeneration and greenfield strategic land.

Jon Kenny, Director at CEG, said: “Peter joining the team is great news for CEG. Our heritage as an investment and asset management company with more than 1,000 tenants is still the backbone of the company but we have also evolved into a much broader based business which also specialises in developing high quality new places and communities.

“Peter’s unparalleled experience in residential, commercial and mixed-use development will ensure he can help to guide bespoke strategies across our portfolio as well as providing advice when we are looking at new investments.”

“We work hard to collaborate with Local Authorities through locally-responsive masterplans which best meet the needs of the area. Approaching each of our projects at the outset armed with a strategic understanding of all of the issues and options will ensure we can realise our ambitions in delivering desirable new homes and business spaces.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Commercial Estates Group .