Urban&Civic has called upon the legal expertise at Mills & Reeve to advise on the transformation of Alconbury Airfield into a dynamic and innovative mixed use development.

Alconbury was selected last year to become one of the Government’s Enterprise Zones and the project as a whole aims to create 8,000 jobs and 5,000 new homes over the next 25 years. Site owners Urban&Civic appointed Mills & Reeve to provide support on planning and construction work following a competitive pitch process.

The Mills & Reeve team is led by planning partner Beverley Firth, alongside real estate partner Christine de Ferrars Green, corporate finance partner Claire Clarke, technology and commerce partner Greg Gibson and projects associate Stuart Thompson.

Beverley Firth said: “This is a really exciting project for the firm to be involved in and the site, with its Enterprise Zone status and excellent location due to its proximity to the A1(M)/A14 and the East Coast Main Line has the potential to help drive the region’s growth.”

Mills & Reeve is a top 50 national law firm with 98 partners and a total staff of around 800, operating from offices in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London, Manchester and Norwich.

The Alconbury Airfield site was acquired by Urban&Civic in 2009, with the purchase of Grange Farm – which links the site to Huntingdon – in 2010. The site as a whole is 575 hectares (1,420 acres). 150 hectares of the site was awarded Enterprise Zone Status in August 2011. Businesses targeted for the Enterprise Zone include hi-tech manufacturing, R & D and offices.

Urban&Civic are planning further local consultation events in February and March 2012 before submitting an outline planning application for the site in April 2012.

James Scott, Planning and Regeneration Director of Urban&Civic, added: ‘”We are delighted to be working with Mills & Reeve on this project. Their appointment reflects our ambition to work with strong companies based locally to help us deliver a development which is recognised internationally, respected nationally and cherished locally.”

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Beverley Firth, planning partner at Mills & Reeve