Caroline’s planning practice covers the full gamut of planning work, including housing schemes, heritage matters, local plans and neighbourhood plans, PD rights, planning obligations and CIL, advertisements, Habitats Regulations Assessments and EIA, and tricky LDC and enforcement matters.  

Caroline’s recent planning inquiry work includes:

• Acting for North Hertfordshire District Council in support of an application for an up to 49.99MW solar farm in the Green Belt at a two week call-in inquiry in September 2023
• Acting for the London Borough of Southwark, led by Hereward Phillpot KC, in the public inquiry into the New City Court tall building proposals near London Bridge
• Acting for LB Camden in an appeal recovered by the Secretary of State concerning the conversion of a house in Primrose Hill to a museum dedicated to Dr Ambedkar by the Indian Government
• Appearing for a developer, as junior to Andrew Tait KC, in securing planning permission for over 1100 homes in Essex
• Acting for the Royal Borough of Greenwich, as junior to Melissa Murphy KC, in an appeal recovered by the Secretary of State regarding Charlton Riverside Opportunity Area

Caroline regularly acts in planning statutory challenges and judicial reviews in the High Court. For example, she is currently instructed, as junior to Michael Humphries KC, in a s. 288 challenge against an Inspector's decision taken under s. 62A TCPA 1990 to refuse permission for a solar farm in Uttlesford.

With regard to Local Plans, Caroline has experience of both promoting and objecting to plans. She has acted for North Hertfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, South Gloucestershire Council, North Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset and the West of England Combined Authority in promoting their development plans. She also has experience of objecting to local plans, including successfully resisting the allocation of a strategic development location in the Eastleigh Local Plan on behalf of a large community group on grounds relating to impact on the River Itchen SAC. She is well versed in all local plan related issues, including the duty to co-operate, OAN and housing requirements, SEA and Habitats Regulation matters, transport and infrastructure issues, viability, and gypsy and traveller accommodation assessments.

In respect of environmental work, Caroline’s experience extends to environmental permitting and the contaminated land regime under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Matters relating to compulsory purchase and compensation form a considerable part of Caroline’s practice. Caroline was first elected to the Compulsory Purchase Association Board in 2020 and was re-elected in 2022.

Caroline has experience of acting for both claimants and acquiring authorities in respect of the compulsory purchase process and land valuation and compensation. She also has experience in dealing with blight cases and claims made following the exercise of temporary possession powers. 

Recent or notable work includes:

• Acting for a HS2 landowner, Curzon Park Ltd, in the Supreme Court in a CAAD appeal relating to land required for the new Curzon Street station.
• Successfully resisting a counter-notice to a blight notice served in respect of a family home blighted by HS2 (Craddock and another v Secretary of State for Transport [2021] UKUT 0002 (LC)).
• Successfully objecting to the LB Harrow Grange Farm Estate CPO on behalf of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association, which involved dealing with Crown land
• Promoting an estate regeneration CPO on behalf of Slough Borough Council
• Successfully promoting the Aylesbury Estate CPO (as junior to Melissa Murphy KC), an estate regeneration scheme in Southwark
• Advising and acting for a landowner, Sahaviriya Steel Industries PLC and a group of Thai Banks, as junior to Richard Glover KC, at the Redcar Steelworks CPO Inquiry
• Having acted for the acquiring authority in a reference to the Upper Tribunal regarding the compulsory acquisition of the Grade II* listed Sheerness Royal Dockyard Church, Caroline has a particular interest, and expertise, in heritage CPOs under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

Caroline is one of the editors of the Compulsory Purchase and Compensation Service (Bloomsbury Professional).

Caroline has a strong interest in infrastructure and has worked on a range of infrastructure matters. She acted for the London Borough of Bexley in the Cory Riverside Energy Park DCO hearings and as part of the team that promoted the M25 Junction 10/A3 Wisley Interchange Improvement DCO for National Highways. She has also advised the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in respect of the suite of new Energy National Policy Statements.

Caroline regularly advises ratepayers and local authorities on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious rating matters. She has appeared on many occasions in the Magistrates' Court on rating matters and has advised in relation to issues including the backdating of liability, empty rates relief (specifically Makro schemes), charitable relief, and the setting aside of liability orders.

She also advises on council tax matters. Her experience includes making a successful application to the High Court for the striking out of a statutory appeal made from the Valuation Tribunal regarding council tax liability for students.

Qualifications

• BPTC, Kaplan Law School (2012-2013)
• LLM, University College London (2011-2012)
• BA(Hons), Law with Legal Studies in Europe (Spanish), Pembroke College, University of Oxford (2007-2011)

As part of her undergraduate degree, Caroline participated in the European Erasmus Programme, spending a year studying European, Spanish and Catalan law at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.

Scholarships

• Phoenicia Scholarship, Bar European Group (2015)
• Princess Royal Scholarship, Inner Temple (2012-2013)
• Arts and Humanities Research Council full Scholarship for LLM at University College London (2011-2012)

Prizes

• Winner, UKELA Lord Slynn of Hadley Senior Moot (2015)
• Martin Wronker Prize for 1st place in Administrative Law finals paper, University of Oxford (2011)
• Littleton Chambers Prize for 1st place in Labour Law finals paper, University of Oxford (2011)
• Exhibitioner, Pembroke College, University of Oxford (2008-2011)
• Lovells Law Prize for High Achievement, Pembroke College, University of Oxford (2008-2009)

Prior to coming to the Bar, Caroline worked as a research assistant and teaching fellow in public law at University College London.

Caroline also spent a year providing legal assistance to the Dame Janet Smith Review, a private review established by the BBC to investigate issues connected with the Jimmy Savile scandal and the culture and practices of the BBC during the period that he worked there.  

Caroline is a member of the following associations:

• Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
• Bar European Group (BEG)
• Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA)
• National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA)
• Planning and Environmental Bar Association (PEBA)
• UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA)

Caroline was born and brought up in Glasgow. She spends most of her holidays in Scotland, where she enjoys walking in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and climbing the odd Munro.

Caroline's other main interests are modern languages, art and architecture. She is an avid reader, mainly of modern and contemporary fiction.

Caroline is a school governor at Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form College and regularly sits on disciplinary and exclusion panels on behalf of both the school and the London Borough of Hackney.

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