Overview

Our award-winning infrastructure lawyers combine market-leading experience and legal expertise to help you overcome the challenges of infrastructure project delivery. We are renowned for our cutting edge work, delivering groundbreaking infrastructure projects across all sectors and are at the forefront of the debate on UK infrastructure project delivery.

With a reputation for technical excellence and commercially astute advice, our infrastructure lawyers provide expert guidance on whole life infrastructure delivery. Our public and private sector clients include procurers, developers, funders, landowners and the supply chain across all sectors. 

Areas of focus

Our market-leading infrastructure projects expertise includes the following:

  • Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) – under the Planning Act 2008.
  • Government projects – we are one of only 12 law firms on the government's tier 1 legal panel.
  • Transport infrastructure – with particular expertise in rail, highways, airports, electric vehicle technology and public transport.
  • Energy infrastructure – including the procurement of energy storage projects.
  • Nuclear energy – including new build infrastructure and decommissioning in the UK and overseas.
  • Renewable energy infrastructure – including onshore and offshore wind, solar, wave, tidal and biomass.
  • Waste management, energy from waste and water utility infrastructure.
  • Major defence infrastructure projects – advising governments and the supply chain in the UK and overseas.
  • Education, outsourcing and other social infrastructure projects.
  • Advice on some of the UK's largest regeneration projects – including inward investment from the Asia Pacific region.
Experience

Advising Green Lithium on the development of Europe’s first lithium refinery. The project aims to build a £600 million refinery at PD Ports’ Teesport, the UK’s fifth largest port. This is a major, first-of–a-kind project forming a significant part of the UK’s steps to address critical mineral supply. It is believed the site will help boost the UK’s electric car supply chain helping elevate uncertainty over the future of the industry.

Advising Drax in connection with the planned construction of a 600 megawatt (MW) power station to be located inside Ben Cruachan – Argyll’s highest mountain. This would increase the site’s total capacity to 1 gigawatt. Significance: This is an important project which underlines our client’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis and supporting the energy system as it continues to decarbonise. Drax’s plans to expand Cruachan will unlock more renewable electricity to power homes and businesses across the country, and support hundreds of new jobs in rural Scotland.

We have been a leading advisor to the Greater London Authority for over 15 years, advising on housing-led/mixed-use redevelopment and regeneration projects worth many billions across London.

Advising RockRial on a £40m scheme to buy 30 electric buses for London transport.

We have advised TfW on a range of rail commercial and regulatory matters since 2016. In the last year, projects have included: Porth transport hub; Barry Island sidings; OHLE at Canton depot; and Grant Agreement matters Infrastructure management

Advising TfL Transport for London on its procurement of maintenance services for mechanical and electrical assets across the underground network; and London Underground Limited on its procurement of track protection master resources.

Advising NNB Generation, on its use of rail freight to transport construction materials to the site of a new nuclear power station, Sizewell C.

Advising Transpennine Express (TPE) on a number of strategic projects connected with the multi-billion pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) - a transformative, long-term railway infrastructure programme that will improve connectivity in the North.

We continue to advise our client in connection with the major c. £350 million new station development and regeneration scheme at Cardiff Parkway, which is expected to see over 800,000 passengers a year. This ambitious and long-running project is one of the most significant station developments currently ongoing in the UK. It is one of the first privately financed station development projects and requires a detailed knowledge of specialist rail planning and construction issues, illustrating Burges Salmon’s pre-eminent reputation for handling the highest profile and most complex rail infrastructure projects nationally.

We are currently advising Abellio on the redevelopment of their depot at Cambridge to incorporate new stabling facilities for the introduction of the Class 700 units on the Thameslink network. Advising GA and managing the staged development has been complex because it involves phased works on a live depot and managing construction works and the related regulatory issues.

Advising the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) on the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) PPP project to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant, targeting 2040, with a path to commercial viability of fusion. This matter underlines Burges Salmon’s extensive nuclear sector expertise and our ability to advise on ground-breaking, high-value, complex PPP projects, drawing on experience from other sectors.

Advising on the Erebus floating wind project off the coast of Wales which is heralded to be 96 megawatts of floating wind. This is truly a ground-breaking project in the UK. It gives another example of the Burges Salmon energy team being at the forefront of new technologies and developments in the UK. It is a highly complex project of the type of which other law firms simply do not/ are not able to handle.

Advising Pelagic on the development of a large portfolio of large-scale in front of the meter battery storage projects, providing a range of advice on real estate, planning, grid connection and construction matters.

Advising the University of Bristol in relation to the development of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus Bristol, a development valued at £350 million and one of the largest single development projects in the South West

Advising Xlinks Limited on the UK aspects of its ambitious, first-of-a-kind, nationally significant energy project linking renewable power generated in Morocco to the UK via 3,800km of HVDC sub-sea cables.

Advising the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency (MEEF), managed by the Amber Infrastructure Group, on providing a debt and equity funding solution to Rock Road, a subsidiary of Rock Rail. The project is the first non-recourse SPV financing of zero-emissions buses in the UK and a great example of our involvement in innovative finance initiatives in the energy transition space. The funding will finance a new fleet of Wrightbus Electroliner buses to operate on Route 111 from Heathrow to Central London, replacing old diesel buses and saving an estimated 1,750 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

Advising Transport Design International Limited (“TDI”), an innovative transportation solutions provider, on the sale of its award-winning RevolutionTM Very Light Rail (“RVLR”) technology-enabled, battery powered vehicles to Eversholt Rail Group (“ERG”).

During 2023 Burges Salmon continued to advise the MoD on its Skynet military satellite projects.

Advising Protium, a specialist hydrogen development company, on a truly innovative and ground-breaking project to decarbonise heavy goods vehicles using the M4 Motorway. The project is a collaboration between Protium and Marubeni. The aim of the project (HyHaul) is to source green hydrogen which will be produced by both parties and to set up hydrogen refuelling hubs located near the M4.

Advising the MoD on the procurement of a strategic training partner to deliver the Army Collective Training Service (“ACTS”), an innovative and complex programme which aims to transform the management and delivery of training to the Army to match ever-more-complex future threats, through digitalisation, simulation, a different relationship with industry, and by changing how and where the military trains.

Advising longstanding client, FirstGroup, on its bus fleet and infrastructure decarbonisation programme. The transaction forms part of FirstGroup’s ambition to become a net-zero business by 2050, saving up to c.84,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Advising Gravis’ infrastructure investment fund in relation to its debt financing of, and equity investment into, SolarCatcher, a pioneering UK-based developer of solar-powered electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Meet the team
Stuart McMillan

Stuart McMillan Partner

  • Head of Infrastructure
  • Banking and Finance
  • Energy finance
Chris Jackson

Chris Jackson Partner

  • Infrastructure
  • Procurement and State Aid
  • Transport
Mark Paterson

Mark Paterson Partner

  • Defence
  • Business Transformation
  • Central Government
Ian Salter

Ian Salter Partner

  • Head of Nuclear
  • Head of Projects
  • Environment
Ross Fairley

Ross Fairley Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Head of Renewable Energy
  • Environment
Simon Coppen

Simon Coppen Consultant

  • Rail
  • Transport
  • Projects
John Houlden

John Houlden Partner

  • Head of Public Sector
  • Head of Procurement and Subsidy Control
  • Projects
Keith Beattie

Keith Beattie Partner

  • Projects
  • Aviation
  • Defence
Matthew Ramus

Matthew Ramus Partner

  • Head of Education
  • Defence
  • Transport
Michael Barlow

Michael Barlow Partner

  • Head of Environment
  • Head of Water
  • Head of ESG
Brioney Thomas

Brioney Thomas Partner

  • Head of Transport
  • Asset Finance and Asset Backed Lending
  • Commercial
Nick Churchward

Nick Churchward Partner

  • Head of Resource and Waste Management
  • Projects
  • Energy and Utilities
James Phillips

James Phillips Partner

  • Head of Energy & Utilities
  • Head of Energy Transition
  • Energy Regulation
Steven James

Steven James Partner

  • Construction and Engineering 
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Construction Disputes
Lloyd James

Lloyd James Partner

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Energy and Utilities 
  • Infrastructure
Julian Boswall

Julian Boswall Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Planning and Compulsory Purchase
Elizabeth Dunn

Elizabeth Dunn Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Real Estate
Euan Bremner

Euan Bremner Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Head of Scottish Real Estate
  • Head of Northern Irish Real Estate
Philip Beer

Philip Beer Partner

  • Real Estate
  • Transport
  • Energy and Utilities
Will Woodall

Will Woodall Partner

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Infrastructure
  • Healthcare
Graham Soar

Graham Soar Partner

  • Banking and Finance
  • Derivatives, Debt Capital Markets and Securitisations
  • Project Finance
Racheal Ruane

Rachael Ruane Partner

  • Corporate Banking
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Asset Finance and Asset Backed Lending
Victoria Allsopp

Victoria Allsopp Partner

  • Banking and Finance
  • Renewables
  • Energy, Power and Utilities
Headshot of Claire Logue

Claire Logue Director

  • Construction and Engineering
  • Construction Adjudication
  • Construction Disputes
Lydia Cullimore

Lydia Cullimore Partner

  • Projects
  • Commercial
  • Transport

What others say...

Very friendly and knowledgeable team. You have the ear of an expert with a can do attitude.

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Key contact

Stuart McMillan

Stuart McMillan Partner

  • Head of Infrastructure
  • Banking and Finance
  • Energy finance

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