Deborah Sharples

Service area(s): Environment, Planning

Office: Cambridge

Position:Partner

Telephone:01223 532757

Email:deborahsharples@hewitsons.com

Overview:

Deborah is a partner and the head of planning and environmental law. She deals with both contentious and non contentious matters and regularly appears as an advocate.

Experience:

Deborah has nearly twenty years experience in the fields of planning and environmental law and advises a range of clients including public bodies and private individuals and businesses. Her knowledge of environmental law is invaluable in situations where planning and environmental law overlap.

Deborah advises clients on a wide range of planning and environmental issues in both a rural and an urban context. She frequently appears as advocate in public inquiries and in the magistrates court and has a high rate of success in both arenas. Her experience of enforcement matters is extensive as is her experience in obtaining certificates of lawfulness in the planning context. She also advises on non contentious matters such as compliance with the law, the interpretation of permissions and licences and on the negotiation and drafting of section 106 and other agreements.

Background:

Deborah read law at the University of Birmingham before obtaining a first class pass at Chester Law School. She trained as a solicitor at Eversheds in Birmingham and Mills and Reeve in Norwich before moving to Barker Gotelee in Ipswich where she gained a good range of experience particularly in waste management, transport and rural matters. She moved to Hewitsons in 2002.