Vanessa Thompson

Planning and environment

• Representing developers, local authorities and submitters in appeals, declaratory proceedings, enforcement proceedings and prosecutions under the Integrated Planning Act 1997, Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and Planning Act 2016.
• Advising clients on land use and development assessment matters.
• Advising on environmental issues including contaminated land, approvals and offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1994.
• Complex due diligence assessments for significant acquisitions by large corporate entities, including matters under the Building Act 1975.
• Preparing a complex Voluntary Planning Agreement for a major Sydney development.
• Preparing and implementing an ‘empty property strategy’ to bring abandoned properties back into use for a local authority in London.

Compulsory acquisition and valuations

• Representing and advising the State of Queensland on a range of compulsory acquisitions under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.
• Representing and advising resuming authorities and landowners on compulsory acquisitions under the Acquisition of Land Act 1967.
• Negotiating compensation agreements on behalf of landowners and resuming authorities.
• Representing and advising landowners on objections to annual land valuations under the Land Valuation Act 2010.

Other commercial experience

• Representing a bank in a debt sale including developing and administering a large data room, advising on real property securities and involvement in contractual negotiations.
• Representing banks in proceedings to recover possession of secured properties.
• Part of a team responsible for document disclosure for a multinational company being investigated and prosecuted by numerous national security regulators, reportedly involving one of the largest document reviews ever undertaken (approximately 80 million documents).