Peter Briggs

Practice Areas

Peter leads our Australian EP&C team and is one of the most sought after and experienced environment and planning lawyers currently operating in Australia.

Peter’s insights drive some of the largest and most complex corporate and government matters in Australia. His expertise is wide-ranging, spanning from major project approvals and contaminated land management to specialist litigation. Peter is a highly regarded litigator in environment and planning prosecutions, compulsory acquisition, class 3 actions, valuation and judicial review, and civil enforcement in the NSW Land and Environment Court, and environmental warranty and indemnity claims in the NSW Supreme Court and the Federal Court.

Peter’s contribution to the public sector continues to be significant. With NSW Government and the Commonwealth of Australia forming part of his impressive client portfolio, Peter takes a lead role in complex and cutting-edge projects, including Australia’s first Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) located in NSW. Peter’s diverse range of expertise allows him to advise on notices to provide information and orders for the tabling of documents in Parliament. Peter continues to influence the policy landscape in NSW with his latest paper with the Clean Energy Investor Group, which addresses potential improvements to the NSW planning approval process to facilitate decarbonisation.

Peter provides native title and Aboriginal cultural heritage advice and representation in relation to major resources and infrastructure projects around Australia. His experience covers complex native title, Aboriginal Land Rights Act and Aboriginal cultural heritage claims and related project assessments, risks, regulator engagement and enforcement as well as interactions with traditional owner groups, media and other key stakeholders.

Work Highlights

Peter's work for Government includes:

• Energy Corporation of NSW in relation to the land access and compulsory acquisition of interests in the Central West Orana (CWO) project 3,000 MW Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), a first in Australia. Providing strategic assistance and advice on planning issues affecting the CWO REZ aspects on a high-level review in relation to planning issues on a REZ in NSW. He is also advising EnergyCo on the Hunter Transmission Project and the New England REZ.

• Defence Housing Australia to respond to emergency and other applications for declarations under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 relating to its proposed urban redevelopment project at Lee Point, Northern Territory. He is also advising on DHA’s Nirimba Fields development in NSW.

• Landcom on biodiversity, environmental and planning matters relating to major urban redevelopment projects in NSW, including strategic engagement with approval authorities.

• TfNSW in relation to various compulsory acquisition matters for the M12 project and on the iconic Circular Quay Redevelopment project.

• Department of Environment Water (NSW) in relation to a complex EPA investigation into the Menindee Lake fish kill incidents (via the iCare Environmental Litigation Panel).

• Various NSW Agencies including DEIT, Treasury and Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in relation to various Standing Order 52 Calls for Papers to the NSW Upper House.

Peter’s work for private clients included advising:

• Confidential leading port storage terminal operator on complex regulatory investigations by EPA and related regulatory advice including an environmental lease dispute.

• Opal Packaging Australia in bringing a successful claim in the Supreme Court of Victoria with respect to a complex environmental indemnity arising from a major corporate transaction.

• Lendlease on the process and requirements for a major strata renewal including representation in the Land and Environment Court in connection with acquiring control of land on O’Connell Street in Sydney’s CBD for a city-changing, urbanisation project providing new and upgraded, mixed-use development across the block bounded by O’Connell, Hunter, Pitt and Bent Streets. There are limited precedents on strata renewal since the legislation was introduced. The area is novel, and the statutory steps are complex. This is a multi-million dollar project.

Further, Peter has also continued to support the energy transition and work on some of the largest energy projects in Australia, including advising:

• Clean Energy Investor Group in relation to strategic planning and environmental matters, and the preparation of an industry report on the NSW planning system for clean energy projects that was covered by leading news services, including ABC News and The Guardian Australia.

• ENGIE Australia & New Zealand on the approvals pathway and strategy for the proposed Hills of Gold Wind Farm in Nundle, NSW, bringing together environmental assessments and approvals, land access and social licence requirements.

• Global Power Generation Australia in relation to advice on the neighbour agreements pertaining to the Crookwell 2 Wind Farm, coordinating submissions to the Independent Planning Commission in response to the Department of Planning and Environment’s recommendation to refuse consent to the Crookwell 3 Wind Farm and representation in related merit appeal proceedings, providing advice and representation in court proceedings relating to the Paling Yards Wind Farm.

• AGL Energy / Idemitsu JV on planning approval pathways for the proposed $700 million 500 MW Muswellbrook pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project, including advising on land access, water, mining interactions (including closure and rehabilitation), stakeholders and Commonwealth environmental issues.

• Vestas / WinterbourneWind on all aspects of the planning approval process for the $1.5 billion Winterbourne Wind Farm with up to 119 wind turbines and a maximum capacity of 700 MW, including planning pathways, environment assessment, voluntary planning agreements and stakeholder engagement.

• Tilt Renewables on the Rye Park Wind Farm including planning approvals and modification, interaction between State and Commonwealth approvals, consistency assessments and neighbour agreements.

• Equis and SEE on the Commonwealth Offshore Electricity Infrastructure regime and a proposal for a windfarm in the Gippsland declared area.