Cathryn Tracey Director

Cathryn is a director in the planning and compulsory purchase team, having previously worked in local government.  She specialises in development, in particular renewable energy, infrastructure and major redevelopment projects. Her expertise includes advising on planning applications and appeals, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and Developments of National Significance.  She also advises on matters relating to compulsory acquisition and is an active member of the compulsory purchase association. 

Cathryn advises a number of promoters of renewable energy schemes in the NSIP and DNS regimes, on planning strategy, EIA, and representing applicants during examination. She also advises on complex planning obligations and negotiates infrastructure agreements for developments including regeneration schemes.  

Cathryn is an expert on common land, open space, natural capital (BNG and nutrient neutrality), public rights of way and town and village greens. She also advises on local authority’s powers and duties, the limits of their discretion and their internal governance procedures.

Renewable Energy

• Acting for Bute Energy, RWE, Statkraft, Eco2, Wind2 and Galileo promoting onshore energy parks in the DNS regime in Wales. Advising on consenting strategy, EIA, secondary consents including common land, consultation and examination.
• Advising ENSO on a solar DCO project.
• Advising Awel Aman Tawe and Awel y Gwrhyd CIC on their community run Mynydd y Gwrhyd wind farm, including securing planning permission and variations to it, defending judicial review challenges, securing common land consent and undertaking due diligence for financing so that the project could be built.
• Advising RES on its Bryn Llewellyn proposal including on the common land applications and providing assistance to the advocate at the conjoined commons and planning inquiry.
• Advising Infinis on the acquisition of the Wingates, Blackstone Edge and Tedder Hill onshore wind farms from EON.

Infrastructure and Major Development

• Advising Rugeley Power Station on the redevelopment of its former power station site for a housing led mixed use scheme of up to 2300 homes, school, open space, employment uses and associated infrastructure. She advised on the planning application and negotiated a complex s106 agreement and subsequent variation. 
• Advising Stevenage Borough Council as landowner in respect of the regeneration of the town centre including advising on the securing of obligations in the s106 agreement and the use of powers of appropriation and compulsory acquisition.
• A land consortium including Aviva Investors Investors on the 630 acre Linmere project, particularly in respect of Hillside issues and on-going planning matters including s106 and infrastructure agreements.
• Acting for National Highways on a number of projects including the M3 Junction 9, A417 Missing Link and M20 Junction 10a nationally significant infrastructure projects.
• Acting for North Somerset Council on the promotion of two compulsory purchase orders and associated orders for the South Bristol Link road and more recently on the new Banwell Bypass project.
• Acting for The Crown Estate in securing planning permissions for high quality housing developments.
• Advising a local authority in respect of allotments (both statutory and non statutory).
• Advising a purchaser on the impacts of an Asset of Community Value listing on their redevelopment proposals.
• Advising a water undertaker on a nutrient neutrality scheme including preparation of the necessary agreements to facilitate the sale of credits.
• Advising an estate owner on biodiversity net gain including the use of conservation covenants.