Administrative Law in Hannover. From the decision to the court.

Whether a housing, commercial or infrastructure project comes about is decided in public law, before the first contract is signed. We advise the public sector and private developers alike.

• Adopting and amending local development plans and land-use plans
• Whether a project is permissible under sections 30, 34 and 35 of the Building Code
• Permit and preliminary ruling procedures, changes of use, exemptions and dispensations
• Neighbour objections, neighbour actions and enforcement measures such as a prohibition of use
• Applications for judicial review of a development plan
• The private law side of the project is handled by our practice area Construction Law

In a procurement, time limits decide the outcome. A complaint raised too late is lost, and after notice of the intended award only a short standstill period remains. We advise contracting authorities and bidders, from the outset in each case.

• Preparing tenders, the specification and the evaluation matrix
• Reviewing bids, grounds for exclusion and requests for further information
• Complaints, applications to the procurement tribunal and appeals to the higher regional court
• Concession awards and procurements below the EU thresholds
• Framework agreements and the terms of the contract are handled by our practice area Commercial Law

Larger developments run through contracts in which the municipality shifts obligations and costs onto the developer. The limit is proportionality: a disproportionate clause is void, even where both sides have signed.

• Urban development contracts and development infrastructure agreements
• Implementation agreements for project-related development plans
• Agreements on the assumption of costs and of follow-on costs
• Agreements on infrastructure works, including the securities provided
• Where a developer fails, we secure the claims with our practice area Insolvency Law

A charge or a contribution only holds where the by-law and the costing hold. Errors in the area of account or in the calculation of cost make the whole demand open to challenge, on either side of the argument.

• Drafting and reviewing by-laws on charges and contributions
• Costing of charges and contributions, including the apportionment of cost
• Development charges, road improvement contributions and other local levies
• Reviewing demands, objections and actions before the administrative court
• Passing municipal charges on to tenants is handled by our practice area Commercial Lease Law

The shift in energy, the shift in heating and the build-out of the networks reach municipalities, utilities and network operators at the same time. Wherever a line is laid, the concession, the right of way and private ownership of the land meet.

• Concession awards and agreements on the use of public highways
• Licences and easements for electricity, heat, water and data lines
• Dedication, reclassification and closure of public roads, paths and squares
• Special use permits, special use by-laws and the commercial use of public space
• The financing of municipal infrastructure is supported by our practice area Banking Law

On infrastructure, industrial and property projects, environmental law often decides the schedule. An assessment that has to be repeated costs more than one that runs alongside from the start.

• Emission control law, including permits and subsequent orders
• Water and nature conservation law, licences and authorisations
• Environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment
• Objections from neighbours and from associations, objections and actions
• Where allegations arise under environmental criminal law, our practice area White-Collar Crime takes over

We examine not only the legal position but also whether talking to the authority early reaches the goal faster than proceedings do. Where that does not hold, we act before the administrative courts throughout Germany.

• Drafting and reviewing administrative decisions, by-laws and public law contracts
• Support through permit procedures and hearings
• Objection proceedings, actions to set aside and actions to compel a decision
• Interim relief and judicial review of subordinate legislation
• Access to files, freedom of information and rights to information, together with our practice area Data Protection