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Ashley Damiral
Partner

Ashley Damiral

Head of Planning

Languages
  • English

Ashley Damiral is UK Head of Planning. He is a leading expert with more than 25 years’ experience in both development planning and infrastructure consenting. Ashley is advising on some of the largest and highest profile planning projects in the UK, spanning various sectors, including housing, data centres, airports, logistics, retail, life sciences, education and leisure. Ashley’s clients include developers and promoters of complex regeneration and infrastructure projects, as well as investors, funders, landowners, occupiers, authorities and third parties.

Ashley advises across the full development lifecycle from initial strategy to implementation and enforcement. Ashley also has significant contentious experience, including appeals and call-in public inquiries, and judicial reviews up to the Supreme Court. As well as expertise in the TCPA and DCO regimes, Ashley has unique Special Development Order experience for major private sector proposals. Ashley also has a noteworthy CPO and compensation practice (including on HS2, Crossrail and other major schemes), which extends to other areas where there is interplay between private and public land rights, including s203 and s241, and statutory trusts.

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    "Ashley is one of the leading planning solicitors in the country. He is fantastic on strategy."
    Chambers UK, 2025
  • Quote
    “No planning lawyer in the country has better judgment than Ashley Damiral.”
    Legal 500, 2025
  • Quote
    “Ashley is excellent – he knows every aspect of his subject inside out. He is clear in his opinions but also very considered, and he gives consistently good advice.”
    Chambers, 2015
  • Quote
    "Ashley is diligent and well informed. He is good at setting strategy and thinking through the legal implications of actions. Most importantly Ashley Is commercial in his outlook. While Ashley will highlight the legal pitfalls, he will always find ways to avoid them."
  • Quote
    “Understands clients’ commercial objectives.”
    Legal 500, 2016
  • Quote
    “Excellent client care and a good understanding of the commercial reality of what the client is trying to achieve.”
    Chambers, 2016

Relevant experience

  • Residential: longstanding client Berkeley Homes, most recently on two regeneration projects in Hounslow granted planning permission following a call-in inquiry; CALA Homes on its green belt housing development in St Albans; and Crest Nicholson’s East Street regeneration scheme in Farnham.
  • Integrated Retirement Communities and Senior Living: longstanding specialist in this sector, acting for Legal & General; Pegasus; and Octopus and PIC in their joint ventures with Audley and Elysian.
  • London mixed-use regeneration: the huge Imperial College White City Campus; the Truman Brewery and Brick Lane masterplan and the GLA and Berkeley Homes’ TwelveTrees Park.  
  • Logistics and industrial: large scale economic developments, including the former Honda car plant in Swindon; BOX STN at Stansted Airport; a proposed new car and battery manufacturing plant; and various distribution centres and warehouses across the UK for a leading global online retailer.
  • Data Centres: a number of major data centre projects for developers and a US hyperscaler.
  • Infrastructure: some of the largest projects in the UK, including a legal challenge to Thames Water’s huge new reservoir project in Oxfordshire; the promotion of the new Heathrow West terminal as part of the third runway expansion plans; and the Channel Tunnel.
  • Leisure: The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club’s high profile Wimbledon Park Project; new film studios and related development in Elstree; and a range of hotel developments.
  • Retail and town centres: longstanding roles advising on the evolution of the world-renowned Bicester Village; and many new stores, extensions and regeneration projects across England and Wales for Sainsbury’s.

Memberships & Roles

  • Member, The City of London Law Society Planning & Environmental Law Committee

Education

  • 2000 - Legal Practice Course, College of Law, London
  • 1999 - Diploma in Law, College of Law, London
  • 1998 - BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, University of Leeds
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