Sarah Fitzpatrick is a planning lawyer, and head of our planning team in London.

She has over 25 years extensive experience in all aspects of planning law and practice with a particular focus on London regeneration and redevelopment, compulsory purchase, high-rise development, infrastructure and energy infrastructure, road and rail, and large scale multi-use schemes.

Sarah has experience of acting for both promoters of, and objectors to, CPO's/TWAO's/DCOs, including retail-led and town centre regeneration CPOs, and has acted most recently in objecting to an energy DCO, and is currently acting against an early stage rail TWAO, highways DCO, and regeneration CPO. Sarah has also acted / is acting for claimants on compensation claims relating to a number of major road, rail, and infrastructure schemes as well as developer-led regeneration CPOs; claims currently relate to HS2, the A63 Castle Street DCO, Thames Tideway Tunnel, the A27 Arundel Bypass DCO, and the A1 Birtley to Coal House DCO.

She has considerable experience of working on major London schemes, including high-rise development, residential and residential-led mixed-use schemes, sports stadia, student accommodation, office, hotel and retail schemes. Many of these projects have a complicated transport infrastructure interface and involve rail upgrades, new roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Sarah is currently advising on schemes involving new office; residential including build to rent; mixed-use retail and residential; an apart-hotel; a football stadium and training ground; and a new hotel development. 

Sarah also has experience of acting on large mixed-use / residential-led schemes outside London; she is currently acting on the residential-led redevelopment of four linked sites outside Norwich for 750 residential units; a mixed-use residential, retail, office, hotel and community space in Canterbury on a complex town centre site; and a new training ground and facilities for a Championship football club.

She also has experience of energy infrastructure, having acted on new pylon and undergrounding projects, new jetty and on-shore facilities for LNG, a gas pipeline, as well as promoting an energy DCO. 

Sarah has extensive experience of advising on the complex, cutting edge and quirkier aspects of planning law, such as CIL mitigation strategies; dark kitchens; defending enforcement and listed building enforcement cases; relevant demolition cases; technical implementation and CLEUD/CLOPUD applications to establish lawful use and development; utilising permitted development rights and creating fall back strategies.

A skilled negotiator, Sarah has negotiated many planning and highway agreements, and planning conditions ensuring planning permissions remain bankable, and preserve cash flow, as well as ensuring sufficient flexibility throughout build-out to accommodate market change.

Sarah is recognised in the Legal 500 2022 as a leader in her field, and has been ranked globally as one of the top lawyers in Hospitality 2022 by Who's Who Legal.