A Law Society planning and environmental law masterclass offers an update for practitioners acting in both residential and commercial transactions.

The format includes a workshop element for practical, applied understanding of this area of the conveyancing process.

The venue is the Radisson Blu hotel on Golden Lane in Dublin 8 and the masterclass takes place across 12-13 April.

Appeal process

Expert speakers will cover topics that reflect planning and environmental issues for conveyancers as well as an overview of the planning application and appeal process.

Topics include:

• The planning application,
• Planning warranty - General Condition 36,
• Pre-contract enquiries, requisitions and searches,
• Planning compliance issues,
• Opinions of compliance,
• Planning bonds and financial contributions/ taking-in-charge issues,
• Section 160 injunctions,
• Section 5 referrals and issues relating to exempted developments,
• Section 47 agreements,
• Contamination land issues,
• CPOs,
• Due diligence and environmental warranties,
• Building energy performance,
• Obligations pursuant to strategic infrastructure legislation,
• EIA,
• Habitats Directive,
• Arrangements with Irish Water for connections and planning compliance.

Speaker Patrick Sweetman is the former head of the commercial property department at Matheson and a longstanding member of the Law Society Conveyancing Committee. Patrick has acted for a number of leading developers in Ireland, as well as receivers, banks, NAMA and inward investors.

Brendan Slattery is the head of environment and planning at McCann FitzGerald and advises regulatory authorities, statutory bodies, local authorities and developers on significant infrastructure project across energy, transport, water, wastewater and the agri-business sector.

Finola McCarthy of Ronan Daly Jermyn advises on all types of construction and engineering projects both public and private sector, from initial procurement through to dispute resolution.

Alan Roberts is joint head of A&L Goodbody environmental and planning unit and advises on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious environmental work including in respect of waste management law.

Consultant

Professor Yvonne Scannell has been a consultant to the environment and planning group at Arthur Cox since 1990 and is the author of Environmental and Planning Law and six other books. Until recently she was a Professor in the Law School at Trinity College where she specialised in Irish and European environmental law and policy.

Laura Rafferty, is a senior associate in the environment and planning group at Arthur Cox and a former barrister whose experience covers all areas of environmental, planning, infrastructure, and health and safety law.

She has a particular specialism in the adversarial areas of High Court planning judicial review, injunctive relief and criminal enforcement proceedings.

Bookings can be made online through Law Society Finuas Skillnet Professional Training.