CPO Talking Heads: May 2026

Land Assembly and Statutory Powers for Water, Sewerage & Flood Defence: Are Landowners and Tenants Subsequent to the Delivery of Infrastructure?

This event runs as an informal discussion with a small panel of leading and informed practitioners extracting the nuances from this months topic "Land Assembly and Statutory Powers for Water, Sewerage & Flood Defence: Are landowners and tenants subsequent to the delivery of infrastructure?". It will discuss practical issues that arise, with participants in the meeting being encouraged to listen, join in, ask questions and share comments.

Areas covered

Water, sewerage and flood-defence infrastructure is politically uncontroversial — until you look at how the land is actually acquired.

Statutory undertakers enjoy some of the most far-reaching land assembly powers on the statute book, often exercised with minimal public visibility and limited scrutiny. These powers were forged for a different era where the norm was nationalised utilities, linear infrastructure, and deferential attitudes to state intervention.

In today’s world - fragmented land ownership, environmental regulation, climate resilience, and heightened awareness of property rights - Do these powers remain appropriate, proportionate, and understood, and do they still work?

This Talking Heads session brings together practitioners who sit on different sides of the fence to examine how these powers are used in practice, where they bite hardest, and why the unwary landowner or occupier (and their agents) are often not prepared when their land and rights are about to be challenged.

May's Talking Heads

• David Holland, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP
• Rebecca Clutten, Barrister, Francis Taylor Building
• Mark Warnett MRICS FAAV, Director of Compensation, Ardent
• Craig Burman, Director, Burman Environmental LawAuthor Choose an author