Andrea Towson

Andrea Towson

BBus LLB

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She has acted for public, private and government clients, including property developers, and hospitality, retail and agri-business operators in relation to planning and development matters. Her experience also extends to general property and commercial litigation matters, including complex property due diligence, subdivision structuring and staging, owners corporation disputes and compulsory land acquisition claims.

Andrea’s unique skill set means that she is one of the few lawyers involved with the entire life cycle of a project from acquisition to completion. This holistic understanding of the development cycle saves clients time and money – by dealing with legal issues in a proactive and pre-emptive way at the outset of a project.

Andrea graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology in 2005 and was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia in 2007. She joined Arnold Bloch Leibler in 2009 and was appointed as a senior associate in 2011.

Andrea is a 2019 participant in the Property Council of Australia's 500 Women in Property program, which identifies emerging female talent and provides networking and professional development opportunities throughout the year. She is also recommended by Doyle’s Guide, in the area of planning and environment law.

Recommended for town planning and development law

Doyle’s Guide Australia

Practice focus

Andrea’s practice focuses on the following areas:

due diligence on the acquisition of development sites, including advising on planning, environment and land use risk issues;
planning permit applications and planning scheme amendments, including review proceedings in VCAT;
greenfield residential subdivision;
the negotiation and preparation of Section 173 Agreements and other forms of development agreements;
infrastructure requirements for developments, including development contributions agreements;
the removal and variation of restrictive covenants;
the purchase, transfer and registration of native vegetation credits (offsets);
compulsory acquisitions of land, including consequential valuation of land issues; and
advice in respect of remediation of, and risks associated with the development of, contaminated land.

Directorships & memberships

UDIA Women in Property Committee Member;
Public Interest Lawyer for the Robin Boyd Foundation;
Committee Member of Arnold Bloch Leibler’s Reconciliation Action Working Group;
Member of the Victorian Planning & Environmental Law Association;
Member of the Property Council of Australia;
Andrea also regularly provides pro bono legal advice to the firm’s public interest law clients and is the public interest lawyer for the Robin Boyd Foundation. She has also volunteered for Open House Melbourne for the past five years; and
Andrea was previously the inaugural National Convener of the Young National Environmental Law Association.

Experience

Andrea has advised a variety of public, private and government clients on a range of matters, including:

Walker Corporation: in relation to the development of the Kew Cottages site — including the negotiation, preparation and registration of various Section 173 Agreements to protect significant heritage trees within the development site — and the development of the Collins Square mixed-use precinct at Melbourne’s Docklands;
MAB Corporation: in relation to the acquisition and development of land at Merrifield;
Pacific Shopping Centres Australia: in relation to general planning and environment advice, including VCAT proceedings regarding a planning permit application for a high-rise mixed-use development;
GEO Property Group: in relation to facilitating the purchase of native vegetation credits in connection with the Eynesbury Station redevelopment, including preparation of the various documents required under the Native Vegetation Framework to secure the native vegetation credits;
Intrapac Property: in respect of the ‘Somerfield Estate’ — a 1,700 lot residential development located at Keysborough, Melbourne;
Digital Harbour Consortium: in relation to the development and leasing of the Melbourne Water headquarters office building within the Digital Harbour precinct at Melbourne’s Docklands;
Delmont Private Hospital: in relation to various planning appeals regarding the expansion of this healthcare facility;

AsheMorgan: in relation of the purchase of and subsequent expansion of Harbour Town Shopping Centre, Docklands;
Impact Investment Group: in relation to the purchase of the Transport Accident Commission Building, Geelong, and the K1 and K5 Towers in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane (which form part of the RNA Redevelopment Project);
Jewish Care: in relation to various Planning Scheme Amendments and VCAT proceedings for aged care facilities across Melbourne;
Collingwood Arts Precinct: in relation to the current redevelopment of the former Collingwood Technical School site in Collingwood into a contemporary arts precinct;
Charter Hall Group: in relation to the acquisition of a $603 million property portfolio from the Woolworths-owned ALH Group. This was one of the highest value property deals in Australia in 2014, and one of the most complex in recent years;
Stadiums Queensland: in respect of access arrangements for Suncorp Stadium; and
Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group: in relation to various planning appeals in the Queensland Planning and Environment Court.