Addleshaws, Walker Morris clear up waste disposal PFI

Addleshaw Goddard and Leeds-based Walker Morris have completed the largest waste disposal PFI deal in the UK to date.

Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council have struck a deal with Manchester-based Global Renewables and national contractor Bovis Lend Lease. The £2bn, 25-year deal will enable 150,000 tonnes of resources to be recycled each year.

Global Renewables and Bovis will spend £320m on the construction and operation of two waste management facilities to handle the 600,000 tonnes of household waste produced every year in Lancashire.

Lancashire County Council assistant solicitor (commercial and procurement) Eddie Sutton was assisted by a 20-strong team from Walker Morris, led by commercial partner Julie Muscroft.

Masons (now part of Pinsent Masons) provided the original contractual advice for Lancashire in 2003. But Walker Morris won the work after Masons' relationship partner Alison Page left for DLA (now DLA Piper) in 2005.

Global Renewables and Bovis were advised by Addleshaws Manchester projects partner Michael O'Connor, alongside Bovis in-house lawyer Richard Shaw.

Global Renewables is a subsidiary of Australian mining specialists GRD Minproc, and Addleshaws won the work after a referral from Australia's Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Lovells advised the five-bank consortium backing the deal, comprising Bank of Ireland, Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Lloyds and NIB Capital, with London project finance partner Phillip Brown leading.

CONTACTS