Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) give the acquiring body the right to acquire property for a specific purpose where there is a “compelling case in the public interest”.
CPO’s are typically encountered in areas that are undergoing town centre or area wide regeneration or for the construction or widening of roads or carrying out other major works which require land assembly powers. Most Orders are made as subordinate legislation under powers given in existing legislation (for example, an Order for road works is normally made under the Highways Act) but specific primary legislation can also be enacted for a large scheme, a good example of which was the Channel Tunnel rail link.
Whether you are a developer or local authority seeking to use Compulsory Purchase procedures or are on the “receiving end” of a Compulsory Purchase Order, our CPO experience can help you through the process.
To achieve the best results for our Clients, our surveyors possess a number of specialist skills including:
- In depth knowledge of the extensive compulsory purchase statute and case law.
- The ability to understand claimants’ businesses and issues affecting them on relocation or extinguishment, temporary and permanent loss of profits and injurious affection.
- When acting for a developer or acquiring authority the knowledge to guide the client through the process including:
- Providing estimates
- Negotiations prior to acquiring CPO powers
- Appearing as an expert witness at Public Inquiry
- Most importantly, the necessary diplomatic skills to deal with claimants and to negotiate settlements.
- When acting for owners or occupiers of land affected by a scheme:
- The ability, if appropriate, to make a credible objection to a CPO and to give evidence at Public Inquiries.
- The ability to present a claim within the compulsory purchase framework in a persuasive way and to negotiate a satisfactory settlement.
- If negotiations fail, the ability to provide credible expert witness advice in the Lands Tribunal.
All of these services are provided to our clients through the combined resources of our teams dealing with Land Development Consultancy, Statutory Valuations and Land Taxation.
Please contact Ian Charman or John Turner for more information.