Urban planning and development law


Our expertise

The Urban Planning and Development Law team assists private companies (developers and retailers, builders, investors) and public entities with the legal management of their real estate projects at every stage: not only during the design, approvals, construction and litigation phases, but also during the sale or acquisition of real estate assets or portfolios with significant regulatory implications (due diligence process).

It deals with all issues (including tax issues) related to urban planning and development regulations, as well as legislation governing commercial facilities, whether it be obtaining or securing administrative approvals (reviewing application files, providing support in official inquiry or public consultation procedures), or managing constraints related to the existence of risks (“PPR” - Risk Prevention Plan or litigation phase) and the protection of the environment or landscapes (Acts for protected areas such as rivers “Loi sur l'Eau”, biodiversity hotspots “Loi Natura 2000”, coastline “Loi Littoral” and mountains “Loi Montagne”). 

Our team works regularly alongside project owners and developers, ensuring that operational performance is reconciled with regulatory compliance, in close collaboration with the firm’s other teams (real estate, environment, corporate).

What we do

  • Regulatory urban planning (urban planning code, RNU, Littoral and Montagne Acts) and urban planning documents (“SCoT”, “PLU”, “PPR”, “OAP”, “RLPi”, development procedures)
  • Operational urban planning (housing developments, ZACs, land divisions, taxes and contributions) and complex arrangements (primary divisions, PC valid as division, divisions by volume, public properties and off-plan properties)
  • Assistance in obtaining and securing individual authorisations (building permits and prior declarations, land clearing, public-access building)
  • Public and private development law (concessions, planning permission and development declarations, financing of public facilities, expropriation, pre-emption)
  • Commercial urban planning (review of files before the CDAC (Departmental committee responsible for commercial operating licences), appeals/defence before the CNAC (National Committee responsible for commercial operating licences), PC/AEC (building permits equivalent to commercial operating licences), litigation, audits) and legal assistance in the implementation of commercial projects (shops, shopping centres, retail parks, drive-throughs, cinemas)
  • Acquisition or compliance audits, assistance with regularisation
  • Administrative and judicial litigation in the field of urban planning, development and commercial facilities

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Among our files

  • Numerous legal feasibility studies for real estate projects (shops, offices, housing, hotels) and operational legal assistance in obtaining the administrative approvals necessary for their implementation (support with steps taken with the authorities), audits to validate authorisations obtained
  • Legal support to project owner(s) provided to public entities, as part of the implementation of infrastructure and public facilities projects, as well as audits of their urban planning or development documents
  • Management of numerous administrative disputes concerning urban planning and commercial facilities authorisations (defence or, where applicable, appeals against them) on behalf of large retail groups or developers
  • Management of multiple administrative disputes concerning urban planning documents on behalf of public authorities or private individuals
  • Defending the interests of owners (both institutional and private ones) in expropriation and pre-emption proceedings (administrative and judicial phases, negotiations) or formal notices to purchase (reserved locations, decisions to impose social housing in buildings)
  • Numerous cases in judicial and criminal litigations relating to urban planning
  • Audits of regulatory compliance of buildings (particularly in terms of purpose and use, special legislation, public access buildings) and commercial sites (acquired rights in terms of use of sales area, possibilities for site development, regularisation) on behalf of owners, purchasers or portfolio managers

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