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Planning & Environment

Russell Kennedy has one of Victoria's strongest planning and environment law teams. We provide comprehensive legal advice and regulatory services for government and private clients facing complex planning and environment matters. 

We work with the Victorian Government, all of Victoria's 79 municipal councils and most of the state’s rural, regional and metropolitan water corporations. We also support private corporations in the waste and resource recovery sector, and industrial and property development clients.

We’re experts in environmental law, strategic and statutory planning, waste management, land contamination, water law, heritage law and related administrative law and governance. We guide our clients through complex planning and environment matters and are experienced with managing cases involving lengthy hearings before VCAT and legal challenges in the Supreme Court.

Our planning advice and representation extends from basic residential and multi-unit development through to detailed planning and environmental issues, including contaminated site redevelopment. On a day-to-day basis, we provide statutory planning advice, support and representation for numerous Victorian councils. We are also constantly involved with councils and state government agencies in relation to major and minor planning scheme amendments. Our strategic planning services also include advice on precinct structure planning, planning scheme policy, and the interpretation and application of those policies.

Russell Kennedy is also a thought leader in the waste and resource recovery sector. In addition to our local and state government clients, we work with landfill and transfer stations, recycling and composting facilities, waste-to-energy plants, industrial waste storage and treatment facilities, and rendering plants. We provide guidance and representation throughout the project lifecycle - from procurement and approvals to construction, operations, closure and rehabilitation.

At Russell Kennedy, many of our lawyers have multi-disciplinary qualifications in town planning, environmental engineering, geography and natural resource management. We’re regular contributors to key industry and stakeholder groups in the areas of planning, environment, contamination, resource management and water law.

Andrew Sherman, Ian Pridgeon, Stefan Fiedler and Matthew Beazley are all recognised in various Best Lawyers in Australia lists for Planning & Environment Law and Land Use & Zoning Law.

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