Firm hires: Irwin Mitchell expands planning and environment team

National law firm Irwin Mitchell has recruited senior associate Tracy Lovejoy and associate Victoria Tague to its planning and environment team.

Lovejoy, based in the firm's Birmingham office, joins from Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors in Shropshire where she was an associate lawyer and head of the planning department.

She has experience advising on the section 106 agreements and CIL liabilities for a 600-unit residential development; advising on remediation conditions in respect of a former quarry site and advising a major poultry farm on their planning application, including managing the output of nutrients and emissions into Special Areas of Conservation and drafting the section 106 agreement to support the application.

She also has experience of enforcement, injunctions, CPOs, judicial reviews and has advised on town and village greens, commons land, tree preservation orders, local plan policies, heritage assets, drainage, and ecological matters.

Tague, based in Manchester, joins from DLA Piper where she was an associate in the firm's Manchester planning team.

She has acted for clients in both development proposals and real estate and corporate transactions and has assisted with high profile planning matters. She has also worked on complex legal agreements, including section 106 planning obligations, highways agreements and utility arrangements: compulsory purchase orders, compensations disputes, land transfers and planning due diligence.

Head of planning and environment Claire Petricca-Riding commented: 'Both Tracy and Victoria will play an important part in helping us to fulfil our ambition to provide first-class advice to clients. Both new joiners come with great hands-on experience and good reputations and will be great assets to our practice. We plan to announce further appointments in the new year.'