Environment and Planning
Major developments and infrastructure projects face increasingly complex planning and environmental requirements. Getting the right advice early can help manage risk, avoid delays and keep projects moving.
Environmental and planning issues can affect every stage of a project, from site selection and due diligence through to approvals, development, operation and remediation. We help clients understand their obligations, navigate regulatory processes and find practical ways forward.
Our environment and planning lawyers advise government, developers, infrastructure providers and other public and private sector organisations on complex environmental, planning and land use matters.
We have particular experience working with state and local governments, utilities and social infrastructure providers, as well as clients across property, construction, waste and recycling, renewable energy and major infrastructure.
Our team combines regulatory knowledge with a practical understanding of how projects are developed and delivered. We work closely with clients, technical consultants, regulators and other stakeholders to identify issues early, manage risk and achieve commercial outcomes.
We have significant public sector experience and act for local councils across New South Wales and Victoria.
Our environmental practice spans environmental assessment and approvals, contaminated land, environmental compliance, incident response and litigation, biodiversity and offsets, climate change and the environmental aspects of the energy transition.
We are particularly experienced in the investigation, remediation, management, development, sale and acquisition of contaminated land across Australian jurisdictions.
We advise on environmental issues including:
land contamination
risk allocation
incident management
prosecutions and environmental litigation
reviewing and advising on environmental site assessments
remediation action plans
construction management plans.
We work closely with environmental engineers, ecological consultants and other technical experts, regulatory agencies, local councils and environment protection authorities to help clients manage environmental risk and liability.
Major environment assessments and approvals
Major projects can involve complex and overlapping state and Commonwealth environmental assessment and approval processes. We help clients navigate these requirements, manage environmental risk and keep projects moving.
Our team has extensive experience in major environmental assessments for energy, infrastructure and development projects, including Environment Effects Statements in Victoria, Commonwealth environmental approvals and Queensland Land Court proceedings.
We advise throughout the assessment and approvals process, from early project strategy and environmental assessment through to public inquiries and hearings, approval conditions and implementation.
EPBC Act and biodiversity
We advise proponents and stakeholders on Commonwealth environmental regulation, including EPBC Act referrals, environmental assessments and approvals, approval conditions and biodiversity offsets.
Working closely with ecological consultants, government agencies and project teams, we help clients manage the interaction between Commonwealth and state environmental requirements and develop practical strategies for biodiversity and environmental offsets.
Climate change and the energy transition
We advise clients on environmental issues arising from the energy transition, including climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, environmental regulation and the interaction between environmental law, major project approvals and energy policy.
Our experience spans:
- renewable energy and transmission infrastructure,
- gas and other major energy projects, and
- significant environmental and climate change litigation.
Planning and development
We help clients navigate planning requirements from the earliest stages of a project through to approvals, hearings and delivery.
Our planning experience includes:
- preliminary due diligence on regulatory requirements and the development potential of proposed projects, including Crown land, heritage, water, flora and fauna, acoustic, traffic, urban design and landscaping issues
- advising on planning permits and development applications, objections, merits review and appeals on questions of planning law, including engaging expert witnesses and counsel or appearing as solicitor advocates
- strategic planning reviews
- compulsory acquisition of land and temporary occupation matters for acquiring authorities and private landowners
- planning advocacy and appearances in courts, tribunals, planning panels and advisory hearings in Victoria and New South Wales
- governance and probity matters, including ICAC proceedings in New South Wales
- preparing and negotiating section 173 agreements in Victoria and voluntary planning agreements in New South Wales for private developers and state and local governments.
'Hall & Wilcox's strengths include their pragmatic and strategic perspectives, attention to detail and hardworking approach to achieve the best outcome for the client.'
Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide 2026
Our experience
Environment
- Advising property developers on environmental issues associated with brownfield and infill development.
- Advising the Commonwealth Department of Defence on significant land contamination and project development issues arising from brownfield sites in Victoria.
- Advising a major oil company on environmental obligations and liabilities associated with properties in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
- Advising petroleum companies on refining operations and environmental compliance, licence renewals, contamination and environmental incidents.
- Acting as an independent expert for four petroleum companies on the allocation of liability for environmental contamination.
- Acting for the plaintiff in Premier Building and Consulting Pty Ltd v Spotless Group Ltd in significant environmental contamination litigation.
- Advising metropolitan councils on environmental regulation associated with legacy landfill sites and assisting with pollution abatement notices.
- Advising the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning on the implementation of reform recommendations arising from an independent inquiry into the Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic).
- Acting for APA on the Crib Point gas import jetty and pipeline EES, including a 13-week Inquiry and Advisory Committee hearing involving almost 6,000 submissions, 22 expert witnesses and more than 250 individual submitters.
- Acting for APA on the Western Outer Ring Main (WORM) pipeline EES, including preparation and the panel hearing, and advising on implementation, offsets, Commonwealth environmental requirements and Cultural Heritage Management Plan compliance.
- Acting in the Western Renewables Link EES hearing in relation to major electricity transmission infrastructure.
- Representing Waratah Coal in Queensland Land Court proceedings concerning the Galilee Coal Project, including environmental, climate change and heritage issues.
- Advising on EPBC Act referrals, assessments, approvals and biodiversity offsets for major pipeline, transmission and renewable energy projects.
- Acting in more than 20 planning and environmental hearings for APA over two decades, covering pipeline licensing, environmental approvals and regulatory compliance.
- Negotiating a conservation agreement between Parramatta City Council and the Commonwealth environment authority in relation to development near World Heritage-listed sites.
- Advising on the interpretation of planning instruments containing ecologically sustainable development objectives.
- Advising councils and other organisations on tri-generation technology combining cooling, heating and power in the development assessment process.
- Acting for a local council in relation to an unlawfully operated recycling plant, including its responsibilities and the broader regulatory framework.
- Advising on statutory environmental notices and orders.
- Advising local councils on the management of contaminated land they own or manage, including the applicable contaminated land and remediation framework.
- Defending environmental prosecutions brought by the Victorian EPA against a civil works contractor.
Planning
Acting for local councils such as Geelong City, Canterbury Bankstown City Council, Mornington Peninsula, City of Ryde, Canada Bay, North Sydney Council, The Hills Council, City of Kingston and Wyndham City across a broad range of matters including master planned developments and urban renewal projects which will deliver significant social and physical infrastructure and ensure the sustainable, long term provision of housing, transport and services within municipalities.
Advising and acting for local councils in relation to matters including governance and probity plans and enquiries, compulsory, voluntary and owner-initiated land acquisition and Land and Environment Court, NCAT and VCAT proceedings.
Assisting private developers and institutional clients to respond to objections and obtain approvals for contentious redevelopments, including a landmark integrated health and aged care precinct with an innovative and world-leading ‘aging in place’ model of care, and other contentious projects with multiple objectors such as wind farms, quarries and gas projects.
Acting for the Victorian Planning Authority in relation to growth area planning and Infrastructure Contribution Plan approvals under the new and complex ICP system.
Advising major infrastructure providers in relation to green-fields development of electricity, gas and water infrastructure.
Advising landowners and authorities on all aspects of land valuation and land acquisition matters in major state government transport and infrastructure projects, including delivery of new education infrastructure as part of Victoria’s ‘Statewide Building Blitz’.
