Compulsory Purchase Orders and Utility Schemes

Acting for you when someone else has the power to take

Compulsory purchase and utility schemes put landowners in an unusual position. The Acquiring Authority does not need your consent, and the timescales are often set by them, not you. Landowners who wait to take advice, or rely on the authority’s own figures, typically end up with a weaker settlement than the process actually allows for.

We act on behalf of landowners from the moment an Acquiring Authority makes contact, negotiating the terms, valuing the impact accurately and securing compensation that reflects the true effect on your land and your business. Where the scheme touches wider estate or tenancy matters, we work closely with our Estate Management team, and where farmland or agricultural income is affected, our Rural Consultancy team advises alongside us. Our fees are typically recoverable from the Acquiring Authority, so professional advice rarely costs our clients anything directly, and every claim is negotiated in line with the compensation rules that apply.

A well-negotiated claim does more than settle a figure. It accounts for disturbance, loss of value to the rest of your holding and any long-term restrictions the scheme places on how you use your land, points an Acquiring Authority’s first offer rarely includes.