Hugh is one of the UK’s leading town planning consultants and Gerald Eve LLP’s Head of Planning and Development. He is also our Senior Partner. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He has considerable experience in providing strategic and property specific advice to a wide range of global and UK based corporate and private investors and developers as well as to occupiers across private, public and voluntary sectors. He has particular expertise with large-scale, high profile and/or complex development and regeneration projects.
Hugh brings a thorough understanding of the political issues behind national, regional and local policies as well as of the technical aspects of the planning and development process. His expertise lies in devising the strategy to achieve the most effective route to best meet the client's immediate and long term objectives.
He is actively involved in a number of organisations outside Gerald Eve LLP including the Confederation for British Industry, the British Property Federation and the Westminster Property Association. He is Chairman of London First’s Planning and Development Advisory Group, a business led group promoting London. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Gerald Eve LLP’s town planning team are winners of the London Planning Awards for Best Private Sector Planning Organisation.
Specific experience
Regeneration – eg Wembley area around National Stadium; Greenwich Peninsula around O2; Paddington Basin; Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea, London.
Infrastructure Projects – eg Terminals 1, 2 and 3 London Heathrow Airport (British Airports Authority); Cross London Rail Links; Crossrail Over Station Developments, Victoria Station Upgrade, Channel Tunnel Rail Link; Kent International Gateway Strategic Rail Freight Interchange.
Residential development – eg prime central London; growth areas; sustainable urban extensions; development plan allocations; tall buildings.
Large-scale central London office development – eg for British Land, Exemplar Properties, Delancey, Derwent London, Development Securities, Great Portland Estates, Grosvenor, Hammerson, Land Securities, Standard Life Investments.
Central London estates – including Bedford, Cadogan, Church Commissioners, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Ilchester, Portman, Sloane Stanley, South Kensington.
Diplomatic and foreign governments.
Hotel development – eg for André Balazs, Bass Hotels and Resorts, Corbin and King, Corinthia Hotels, Dorchester Collection, Mint Hotel, Premier Inn, W Hotels.
Higher education – eg for Imperial College London; King’s College London; international business school for University of Oxford and The Saïd Business School Foundation; London School of Economics, St Catherine’s College, St Anne’s College, Green Templeton College, Oxford.
UK heavy manufacturing plants – eg Peugeot Motor Company, Gillette UK, Van den Bergh Foods/Unilever.
Town centre and out of centre retail development.
Appearing as an expert witness in public local inquiries, the Lands Tribunal and the High Court.