Natalie Bannister

Practice Areas

Natalie has nearly 30 years’ experience in property, planning and environment law, and acts primarily for energy companies, property funds of all kinds and participants in the social infrastructure and health sectors. Her real property experience includes advice on land assembly including acquiring a variety interests over private and public land, easements and co-use agreements, and a variety of complex leasing commercial transactions including options, agreements for lease and fund through arrangements.

Natalie’s expertise includes dealing with all aspects of planning and environmental approvals including environmental effects statements, EPBC approvals, offset arrangements, planning panels, advisory committees and VCAT hearings and dealing with environmental risk, prosecutions and clean-up.

Natalie is client service-focused and is constantly evolving and improving the way she delivers legal services to make it as easy as possible for clients to do business with her. Leading the firm’s Commercial Practice, she takes an innovative approach to pricing, using fixed fees and other alternative fee arrangements to deliver price certainty and value for money.

Work Highlights

Real property

Advised Arena REIT on its recently announced $120 million capital raising and the portfolio acquisition of six early learning centre properties.

Acting for Arena in relation to the disposal of the assets held in the Arena Office Fund, the Arena Property Fund and the Chevron Renaissance Shopping centre; a project involving over $300 million in commercial and retail assets in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and New Zealand.

Acting for a range of utility service providers, including APA Group, SP AusNet, United Energy and Multinet Gas, Jemena, and Zinfra in respect of land acquisition and compensation, easements, land access, substation leases and licences, and a range or regulatory and general property matters.

Leading the property team involved in the recent public listing of Industria REIT.

Undertaking due diligence and managing all of the property-related aspects associated with the proposed acquisition of six shopping centres located in Victoria and New South Wales.

Acting for Moelis Investment in relation to the establishment of a new significant investor visa fund and in the acquisition of the fund’s first asset, a Victorian shopping centre.

Acting for Metcash and IGA in relation to retail leasing, agreements for lease, and lease disputes.

Providing advice to inbound Asian investors.

Managing compulsory land acquisition and disputed compensation matters for a variety of acquiring authorities and land owners.

Acting in relation to rates and land tax objections and reviews.

Advised NewCold on its acquisition of the Karras Group.

Planning

Advising numerous utility service providers including APA Gasnet, United Energy and Multinet Gas, and Jemena about planning regimes that apply to them and to their assets throughout Australia, including in respect of native vegetation management.

Advocating at panels and advisory committees in relation to the application of new residential zones and in respect of mandatory height controls and land use zoning changes.

Appearing at VCAT in relation to a broad spectrum of planning application disputes.

Advising Metcash and IGA about planning approvals and liquor licensing.

Advising in relation to Precinct Structure Plans, the Growth Area Infrastructure Charge, and growth area planning generally.

Environmental law

Advising broadly in relation to various environmentally sustainable initiatives, including energy efficiency reporting and carbon trading.

Negotiating with the EPA and with contributing third parties in relation to the allocation of environmental liability under clean-up and pollution abatement notices.

Advising utility companies and private developers about the environmental regulatory framework that affects them.

Drafting environmental management systems, compliance frameworks, and training modules.

Defending environmental prosecutions.

Acting for the plaintiff in the landmark land contamination case, Premier v Spotless in the Supreme Court of Victoria, involving liability for contamination caused by activities on neighbouring land.

Awards