Anita is a Partner and Head of Planning in the Real Estate department. The Planning team advises leading commercial and residential property developers, property companies, investment funds and high net worth individuals on a broad range of planning matters.
Anita advises clients on strategic planning approaches to maximise value, create flexibility and minimise risk and development costs. She finds solutions to complex planning issues and regularly advises on planning appeals and challenges, planning, highway and development agreements, community infrastructure levy, assets of community value, planning policy, environmental impact assessments, listed buildings, planning enforcement, town and village greens, CPOs, certificates of lawfulness and other public law matters.
Anita is ranked as a Leader in her Field in Chambers & Partners 2024, where she is described as a "fantastic help in dealing with the most complex planning matters". It has previously noted that clients say "the advice she gives is very timely, and is always given with a commercial angle". Legal 500 2024, who list Anita as a Leading Individual, adds "Anita Rivera is tenacious, creative and committed. She is someone you definitely want on your side rather than as your opponent".
Key Experience
- Advising a purchaser on the acquisition of half of a London regeneration scheme benefiting from outline planning permission and the associated disaggregation of planning obligations and other planning liabilities and risks.
- Acting for a private developer on a major mixed used, tall building development in the London Borough of Southwark.
- Advising a leading housebuilder on the calculation of chargeable development and securing social housing and charitable relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy.
- Advising a development company on all planning aspects relating to a change of use of Grade 1 and Grade II* listed buildings within a Grade II* registered historic park together with new 'paragraph 55' dwellings.
- Acting for a major London developer on permitted development rights to secure a change of use from an office tower to residential at a site within the London Borough of Brent.
- Advising Chinese property developers on the acquisition and development of a strategic housing site in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
- Successfully defending an interested party on attempted judicial review challenges relating to the grant of planning consent for a major food store development.
- Acting for the Landowner in defence of a revocation of a certificate of lawful development.
- Acting for a Developer at a planning appeal inquiry for the proposed residential led development of three tall buildings in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
- Acting for a Developer on multiple planning aspects associated with the redevelopment of Dulwich Hamlet Football Stadium and new residential units.
Career History
Partner and Head of Planning, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Partner and Head of Planning, DAC Beachcroft LLP
Senior Associate, RPC LLP
Senior Associate, Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer
Senior Associate, Dentons
Trainee, Dentons