Douglas Milne

Areas of practice
Fraud & Financial Crime, Planning & Environmental, Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Douglas is the Head of our Planning Law Team and advises public sector, commercial and private clients on all aspects of planning law. He can draw particular benefit from having worked not only in private practice but also for the Scottish Government.

Our planning team benefits clients by providing sound legal advice from the outset of a proposal, thereby making any grant of planning permission as free from challenge as possible. Douglas is therefore frequently involved in major planning projects, whether they be for commercial bodies or public sector clients who are undertaking development.

Clients for whom Douglas is currently acting include the Ministry of Defence, The Moray Council and numerous commercial developers who are pursuing strategic land development opportunities. Douglas has also recently advised the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on the legal aspects of its application for planning permission for a low level radioactive waste repository which forms a key part of the decommissioning of the former nuclear power station at Dounreay. 

Other recent instructions have included acting for local planning authorities in their defence of petitions for judicial review, advising clients on the implications of planning law reform and advising on issues arising from the compulsory acquisition of land which has been required to deliver key infrastructure projects.

Douglas also leads our Fraud and Financial Crime Team.  Morton Fraser are market leaders in this niche area of practice, acting for clients such as the Scottish Government's Civil Recovery Unit and the Serious Organised Crime Agency.  Douglas is also the Scottish Member of the International Chamber of Commerce's Fraudnet, a global network of leading fraud and asset recovery lawyers.