Following a competitive procurement process, Buddle Findlay is pleased to be appointed as joint legal advisers alongside Simpson Grierson on the Auckland Light Rail project, which will transform the way Aucklanders travel.
This partnership will provide Auckland Light Rail with expert legal advice on the consenting and property acquisition strategies to support the planning and design phases of the project.
Buddle Findlay national chair and resource management partner, Jennifer Caldwell says: “We are delighted to have been appointed, together with Simpson Grierson, to help Auckland Light Rail deliver such a transformational project. The project is a timely response to the transport challenges posed by growth in Tāmaki Makaurau and presents an exciting opportunity for the development of a fully integrated transport network.”
Simpson Grierson infrastructure partner, Bill Loutit says: “I am hugely enthusiastic about the opportunity for our combined team to work on this inter-generational project to support the growth of Tāmaki Makaurau in a sustainable, planned way. We will bring our shared experience of consenting large infrastructure projects in complex urban environments to help Auckland Light Rail unlock the full range of connectivity and urban development benefits the project offers.”
Buddle Findlay and Simpson Grierson will work closely with Auckland Light Rail and its alliance partners Aurecon and Arup to plan, design and consent the next phases of the city’s expanding rapid transit network.
Auckland Light Rail project director, Tommy Parker says: “We appointed Buddle Findlay and Simpson Grierson as legal advisers because we have confidence that they will bring the necessary vision, experience, capacity, understanding and commitment to assist the alliance to deliver the project.
“Auckland Light Rail will be 24 kilometres long – half of it underground – connecting people to work and study at job centres in the city and at Auckland Airport. Light rail will be frequent, quicker, safer and more reliable, halving travel times between the central city and most destinations on its route.
“Light rail will open up access to new quality homes in growing suburbs by driving housing and business development along the route and becoming a catalyst for neighbourhood regeneration and people-friendly streets,” says Mr Parker.
Buddle Findlay core team members involved in this project include partners Jennifer Caldwell, Vanessa Evitt, David Randal and Daniel Kelleher, as well as special counsel Thaddeus Ryan and senior associate Natalie Summerfield.
