Wragge & Co has been appointed to advise on one of the biggest public property developments in Europe – the £16billion Crossrail project in London.
The Colmore Row firm is on the legal panel for Crossrail London Rail Links – the delivery company for the project – to advise on property, planning, highways and compulsory purchase aspects of the new rail link route across London.
Planning partner Dan Hemming led the team, along with fellow real estate partner Stephen Sellers and associates Toni Weston and Eleanor Penn.
Other legal firms working on the development are Eversheds and Cripps Harries Hall.
Mr Hemming said: “This appointment is a coup for Wragge & Co’s full-service real estate practice and a strong endorsement of our reputation for high-quality legal advice.
“This project is of vital importance to London’s future transport network and the joined-up approach of the panel will ensure concise and seamless legal support. We look forward to playing our part in delivering this ambitious and exciting project.”
The Crossrail project is the largest infrastructure project in Europe.
It will provide a major new railway link connecting central London, the City and Canary Wharf to Heathrow, and to commuter areas east and west of the capital.
The size of the project means more than 13,000 land and property interests will be acquired to enable main construction to begin on 2010.
The panel will provide support to in-house legal teams in this key planning and property acquisition phase of the project.
Wragge & Co’s 180-strong real estate group works across 15 areas from offices in Birmingham and London. The group advises major private and public organisations on matters ranging from asset management to environment, planning to tax, and litigation to regeneration. They advised Ballymore Properties on Barclays pre-let deal for a Birmingham Snowhill development and JP Morgan on the £51million acquisition of Taunton’s primary shopping centre.
