Sam Blaize

Expertise

Sam works within Hamer’s Infrastructure & Development team, working on renewable energy, highway and rail schemes, advising clients on landowner and stakeholder engagement, land access for surveys and land acquisition. Sam has wide-ranging experience of promoting compulsory purchase powers for different purposes, including through the development consent order process for highway, rail freight and energy projects.

Sam studied Rural Enterprise and Land Management at Harper Adams University before starting his employment in 2010 within the utility sector, where he gained extensive practical knowledge of the industry. He previously worked as a sub-contractor for a number of power companies including Western Power Distribution, National Grid and Scottish Power Energy Networks, arranging access for surveys, managing stakeholder engagement processes, acquiring rights over land and negotiating agreements with stakeholders and landowners throughout the Midlands and North Wales.

Sam is particularly experienced in arranging access to land for surveys; leading Gateley Hamer’s land access team, Sam provides strategic advice to clients to ensure access is achieved within the scheme timeline. Sam has been involved in carrying out landowner consultation in relation to TWAO and DCO, providing advice in relation to design options and land and property impacts in addition to representing clients at public consultation events.

Experience

1. Advising Ashfield Land on its Rail Central project, consulting with affected property owners, the public and on the implementation of a discretionary compensation scheme that will provide certainty to property owners in close proximity to the proposed scheme. 
2. Providing strategic land access advice to Low Carbon Energy to ensure survey deadlines are met within DCO timeline.  
3. Working closely with Mott MacDonald on behalf of Network Rail to close over 100 level crossings across the Anglia region, using compulsory purchase powers through a series of Transport and Works Act Orders, leading the landowner consultation process across Essex, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire and attending public consultation exhibitions, as well as liaising with statutory consultees and user groups. 
4. Managing land access negotiations on behalf of WSP for over 200 different land parcels required for surveys, building up strong relationships with both the client and all affected parties and successfully negotiating access to enable access for both non-invasive and invasive surveys. 
5. Working on behalf of Highways England implementing a development consent order across two of their projects including M54 to M6 link road and A38 Derby.