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Nicole Besgrove

LLB (Hons), B.Env.Sc.

Special Counsel - Brisbane

Areas of Expertise

Planning, Environment & Sustainability, Property, Planning & Development, Government

Expertise

Nicole is a highly experienced planning and environment law specialist with over 18 years of expertise advising on complex regulatory frameworks across Queensland and the Northern Territory. She possesses deep knowledge of planning, environmental, and cultural heritage legislation, developed through advising on a broad range of major development, mining, renewable energy, and infrastructure projects.

Nicole has extensive experience supporting both public and private sector clients—including private developers, local and State governments, government- owned corporations, and mining and energy companies—on matters involving complex planning approvals, environmental approvals under State and Commonwealth legislation, environmental compliance and enforcement, contamination, incident response, due diligence review and reporting, infrastructure charges and agreements, native vegetation, and cultural heritage.

Her practice also includes advising on environmental assessment and compliance obligations in the Northern Territory, providing strategic legal guidance tailored to jurisdictional requirements.

Experience

Planning

  • providing comprehensive planning law advice on:
    • development applications, assessment, approvals and conditions;
    • development in Priority Development Areas (PDAs) and PDA-associated development;
    • land use approvals and approvals pathway for renewable energy projects;
    • planning scheme interpretation and drafting;
    • infrastructure charges, and
    • infrastructure agreements.
  • conduct of Planning and Environment Court appeals on behalf of developers and local government clients, including:
    • applicant appeals against development application refusals and approval conditions
    • submitter appeals against development approvals
    • appeals against enforcement notices.

Environment

  • advising private sector, and mining and energy clients on approval pathways under Commonwealth and State legislation     
  • advising local and State government, private sector, and mining and energy clients on compliance with statutory duties, approvals, environmental authorities, permits, and licences
  • providing strategic guidance on environmental incident management, regulator investigations, and enforcement matters
  • assisting private and local government clients in responding to regulatory enforcement tools, including requests for information, show cause notices, environmental evaluations, and environmental protection orders.

Major Projects

  • providing planning and environmental approvals advice for major government infrastructure projects, including:
    • advice on approval pathways;
    • review of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS);
    • assessment of referrals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and
    • post approval advice, including compliance with, and amendment to, approval conditions.

Cultural Heritage

  • advising quarry and renewable energy operators and government clients on cultural heritage issues including:
    • cultural heritage duty of care;
    • cultural heritage management agreements process;
    • terms for inclusion in cultural heritage management plans
  • drafting and negotiating Cultural Heritage Management Plans.

Northern Territory

  • advising government and mining clients on a range of environmental and regulatory matters
  • providing legal advice on contamination and remediation deed arrangements
  • advising on approvals processes, contamination liability and associated regulatory obligations for petroleum exploration activities.

Publications

21 July 2025 - Knowledge

New social impact and community benefit requirements begin for large-scale wind and solar development

#Renewable Energy, #Local Government

Local governments and renewable energy developers must ensure they understand and comply with the new social impact and community benefit requirements when dealing with new or pre-existing development applications for large-scale wind and solar projects.

Upcoming Seminars