
Ben Walters
Senior Associate
Property Disputes
About Ben:
Ben is a Senior Associate Solicitor in the Property Disputes team based in Oxford, advising on a broad range of contentious property matters.
Ben has particular expertise in the fields of commercial landlord and tenant, impediments to development and compulsory purchase compensation, having acted for clients in both the public and private sectors.
He has represented a diverse range of organisations from high street retailers to automotive manufacturers.
In the landlord and tenant arena, Ben advises on the full range of disputes including dilapidations claims and other breach of covenant issues, contested and uncontested lease renewals, break notice matters and rent reviews. He also deals regularly with recovering possession of land from third parties, including former tenants and squatters.
Ben has extensive experience in dealing with contentious situations affecting residential property. He advises on adverse possession cases, right of way and access issues, boundary disputes, claims arising from the conveyancing process (including misrepresentation cases and professional negligence actions), and residential possession claims.
In addition to court-based litigation, Ben has acted in matters before the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and has appeared as advocate before non-statutory public inquiries. He is experienced in using Alternative Dispute Resolution, including mediation, across the full range of property disputes on which he advises.
Outside of his advisory work on Property Disputes, Ben has been a regular speaker at professional training seminars, including at events for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Experience
Cases of note have included:
- Successfully securing the removal of a co-ordinated group of anti-nuclear protesters from land at Hinckley Point Power Station, with associated injunctive relief;
- Provision of tactical advice on a vacant possession strategy for a local authority client, relating to a large multi-let site in Bedfordshire;
- Settlement via mediation of multiple claims for compensation following the acquisition of land under Compulsory Purchase powers;
- Appearing as lead advocate at a public inquiry for a group of residents in successfully seeking to prevent development of open land in the centre of a village in Shropshire, through securing registration of the land as a village green.
- Recovery of possession of a former student hall of residence from mass squatters.
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