Helen Stewart joined Birketts in June 2020 and is a Partner in our residential development team.
Helen has more than 19 years’ experience advising housebuilders, land promoters, and a wide range of landowners on residential-led development and strategic land projects.
She advises on a broad spectrum of matters, including complex multi landowner arrangements, promotion agreements (including hybrid and option structures), conditional sale contracts, overage and option agreements, and wider strategic land issues. Helen also negotiates and drafts collaboration agreements and supports residential development and plot sales teams with intricate site set up work, including management company structures and governance.
Helen is based in our Cambridge office.
Recent work highlights
Advising a consortium of landowners (which includes a variety of education institutions, charitable trusts and private companies) in the ongoing negotiations for the promotion and disposal of further phases of development of a site which has already seen several phases of sale complete to a PLC house builder.
Advising Hill Residential Limited entering into a complex hybrid promotion/option agreement with a multi-generational landed estate for a residential lead development project for a new housing settlement around the estate’s existing commercial complex. The transaction was complicated for a variety of reasons which included the complicated title and the negotiated contractual provisions for pre-emptions, overage, infrastructure arrangements and tax suspension.
Advising a farming landowner family in connection with the promotion of a c.38 acre site for residential development which will require third party land to be secured for access and necessitated complex title matters (including private rights of way and restrictive covenants) to be addressed.
Experience & education
2022 Partner, Birketts
2020 Joined Birketts as a Senior Associate
2017 Director, Howes Percival
2015 Associate, Howes Percival
2013 Solicitor, Ashtons Legal (formerly Ashton KCJ)
2007 Associate, Eversheds Sutherland (formerly Eversheds)
2007 Qualified as a Solicitor
2005 Trainee Solicitor, Rudlings Wakelam
Areas of Expertise
Helen Stewart has been fantastically supportive through a very complex and complicated promotion agreement. thoroughly professional and attentive to all clients various needs. tough negotiator who I was delighted to have on our side!!
Legal 500 [UK 2026]
