Hill Dickinson is the natural choice for world class Chester Zoo
Following a national legal tender, Hill Dickinson LLP has been appointed as the sole legal advisor for Natural Vision, a £225 million project, which will see the development of Chester Zoo into Europe"s largest conservation, animal and leisure attraction.
Hill Dickinson fought off competition from other blue chip legal consultancies to provide comprehensive legal advice from conception to completion of the project, bringing in expertise from its team across the North West. The firm has offices in Liverpool, Manchester and Chester, in addition to those in London and Piraeus, Greece.
A planning application for the £90 million first phase is due to be submitted later this year and will include the development of the only domed ecosystem in the UK, as well as a 90-bed hotel and a Conservation College.
Robin Jones, partner at Hill Dickinson"s Chester office, who headed up the tender, commented:
“To be involved in a scheme of this stature on a national level is recognition of Hill Dickinson”s ability to deliver full service legal support and advice from intellectual property and planning law to environmental risk and regulatory law.
Brent Williams, Chester-based Property & Construction Partner adds,
“Having an office in Chester means that we are on the Zoo”s doorstep and, being a national firm, we have the skills and expertise available for a scheme of this size and nature. We look forward to playing a fundamental role in seeing the scheme come to fruition."
The completed Natural Vision scheme will comprise 80 hectares and will see the creation of hundreds of jobs, both during the construction of the project and on completion.
Prof Gordon McGregor Reid, Director General of Chester Zoo, added:
“The Natural Vision project will transform Chester Zoo into the conservation and leisure attraction of choice in Europe. To enable us to move forward with this exciting development, we need to be working closely with committed and experienced partners. To that end, we are pleased to welcome Hill Dickinson on board.
The project is being carried out in partnership with a number of agencies, in particular the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), which has provided funding to enable the project to progress to the planning stage."
Ends: 355 words
PHOTOS (300dpi plus), PRESS OFFICE & REGULAR UPDATES at
http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/clientpo/hill-dickinson-llp-in-chester
Caption: LtoR: Brent Williams, Chester-based Property & Construction Partner at Hill Dickinson with the Zoo"s development director, Simon Mann there earlier this week. (Picture available with or without elephants!)
Notes to editors:
Chester Zoo is a registered charity, home to 7,000 animals, 400 different species, many of which are endangered. Chester Zoo – which celebrates its 75th anniversary in May – already welcomes 1.3 million visitors a year, more than any other zoo in the UK. It is expected that number will increase to 1.6 million on completion of the first phase and 2 million visitors per year on completion of the full project.
The Natural Vision project will be fully completed by 2018, creating one of the largest wildlife attractions in the world and providing a major boost to the Northwest economy. This will showcase and financially support the zoo"s national and international conservation work, which already spans 50 countries.
Further artists" impressions and photographs are available upon request.
For interview/photo opportunities with Prof Gordon McGregor Reid, please contact PR and Media Manager Rachael Ashton on 01244 389460/07958103515 r.ashton@chesterzoo.org
About Hill Dickinson…
Hill Dickinson offers a comprehensive range of legal services from offices in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Piraeus and an associated office in Odessa. A Singapore office opening is planned for March 2009. Collectively, the firm has over 150 partners and more than 1000 staff.
The firm"s marine expertise is internationally recognised and has one of the largest marine teams. We are a major force in Insurance and well respected in the Company and Commercial arena. The firm has a highly reputable commercial litigation practice, an award winning property practice and is widely regarded as a leader in the fields of employment, intellectual property, NHS clinical/health related litigation and private client advice.
Hill Dickinson opened in Chester in 1997, following a merger with Hill Dickinson Davis Campbell and property law practice, Wayman-Hales. The Chester office has since grown to nine partners and over 60 staff, and offers national expertise at a local level to clients in Cheshire, North Wales, Shropshire and North Staffordshire.
For further information on Hill Dickinson, please contact:
Cathy Nixon, Corporate Affairs and Communication Manager
+44 (0)151 600 8542
Press contacts: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mob: 07785 395705
Phil Brotherhood Mob: 07884 493370
Tel: 01244 330000
MARKETING PROJECTS
Email: info@marketingprojects.co.uk
Return to Hill Dickinson LLP in Chester listings
> Return to Client Press Office
