About Gavin
Gavin leads the firm’s Planning and Environment team and is a specialist in property development, urban and regional planning, environmental and administrative law.
After being admitted to practice in 1989, Gavin worked as an Associate to Supreme Court Justice Sam Jacobs QC. That experience lead to an interest in planning and administrative law and a move to Norman Waterhouse where he became a partner in 1995.
Gavin has focussed on advising and representing the firm’s significant local government client base, State Government agencies and private clients. As a firm Principal Gavin advises and represents clients in his areas of speciality, including town planning, building and development, heritage, land management, policy development and environment protection.
Gavin regularly appears as an advocate before planning authorities and the Environment, Resources and Development Court and has extensive experience in major projects, land contamination, enforcement, heritage and environmental protection, and resource management.
Gavin has been extensively involved in planning system reform and the transition to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act regime, including the provision of advice to State and local government, the LGA and training to the sector.
Specialisations
- Town planning
- Environment protection
- Development
- Infrastructure
- Site contamination
- Land division
- Building/fire safety
- Regulated trees
- Heritage conservation
- Environmental prosecutions/defence
- Development & land management agreements
- Community land
- Property
- Local government
- Policy
- Training & education
Affiliations
- Executive Member of the SA Division of the Planning Institute of Australia
- Member of Law Society of SA Planning, Environment & Local Government Committee
- Former Chair of the State Planning Commission Building Committee
- Member of the Ministerial Planning Reform Reference Group
- Co-author of the Guide to the South Australian Planning and Development System
- Honorary Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia
- Member of the SA Heritage Council
- Former Presiding Member of the Local Heritage Advisory Committee
- Former Member of the Ministerial Urban Trees Reference Group
Awards
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Doyle’s Guide – Pre-eminent Practitioner, Planning & Environment annually from 2014 - 2022